Source: PSA
More critical health workers are joining strike action on 23 October after the failure of Health NZ Te Whatu Ora to provide an offer during bargaining that fairly reflects their value to the public health system.
Some 1700 PSA members of the Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Specialist Workers Collective (PAKS) have voted overwhelmingly to strike for four hours on 23 October from 11am to 3pm. They have been bargaining for a new collective agreement since March.
The members include those keeping IT systems working 24/7 and ensuring data is secure, those who provide supplies and equipment, those who keep payrolls functioning and those providing other critical support (see list below).
They join 15,000 other PSA health workers – members of the Allied Health collective and mental health, public health and mental health assistants who are striking for 24 hours on 23 October.
“Our members are again sending a strong message to the Government that it needs to fund the health system properly – workers need fair pay and conditions or more will join the exodus to Australia where health workers are valued,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora has offered a 1.5% increase from July 2025 and 2% from July 2026. Members oppose the offer and proposed length of the new collective at 32 months which equates the offer to an annualised increase of just 1.3% (see background below).
“These critical workers are the engine room of the public health system – workers who ensure nurses, doctors, surgeons and others can provide the quality, timely care patients need. They deserve a pay offer that does not cut their wages in real terms, one that properly respects the important roles they play in keeping our health system functioning 24/7.”
PSA delegate Jenna Osborne-Taylor is a senior advisor in the team that supports the needs of Ministers as they engage with health stakeholders and the political process.
“Kaimahi in my wider business unit feel deflated, devalued, and unheard. The proposed offer is a joke; it’s an effective pay cut when many kaimahi have already accepted new roles at lower pay in the relentless restructures we have experienced for the last 24 months plus. Members want their frustrations recognised and their years of experience reflected in a fair pay offer. They want their workloads to be reasonable and manageable.
“They want to know that tomorrow, they’ll be able to pay their mortgage and keep their children in childcare because they have job security and a salary that meets the cost-of-living crisis. With an offer like this, many more will join the thousands who have already left for Australia.”
PSA President Virgil Iraia who is a technical support analyst for digital services said the PAKS collective had never been on strike before underlining the depth of feeling among members.
“We’re feeling increasingly frustrated which is why we’re joining this historic day of action. We’ll be standing proudly alongside thousands of others to make it loud and clear that New Zealanders are being neglected by the Government. Workers and the people we care for deserve better.”
Background – PAKS collective issues
The Policy, Advisory, Knowledge and Specialist Workers Collective Agreement covers a range of PSA members who were brought together from 27 different employers following the merger of DHBs into Health NZ Te Whatu Ora.
Each of these employers are paid differently on very different pay systems. This resulted in workers doing the same work side by side being paid different rates of pay, with pay differences into the thousands of dollars.
Health NZ still does not have a single pay system. It is not willing to address the inequity, and the current negotiations do not address the issue.
This group of workers have had their jobs restructured, some about three times since July 2022. Large numbers of their colleagues have been made redundant, resulting in a lower number of them covering ever-increasing workloads.
The collective covers the following job categories:
– Digital Services
– Finance and Audit
– Policy, Programmes and Projects
– Business Analysis and Support
– Information, Analytics and Research
– Communications
– Procurement/Supply Chain
– People and Capability
– Librarians
– First line Managers.
