Source: Alliance Party
Tuesday 27 October 2026
The Alliance Party is supporting Workers First Union members taking 24-hour strike action at IAG offices in Auckland and Christchurch today.
Workers at IAG, the company behind major insurance brands AMI, State, NZI, Lumley and Lantern, are striking for 24 hours, with pickets scheduled from noon to 2pm at 1 Fanshawe Street in Auckland and 14 Show Place in Christchurch.
The strike follows more than 18 months of collective bargaining without a settlement, after the workers’ collective agreement expired on 31 March 2025.
According to Workers First, IAG is seeking to introduce a 90-day trial period for new employees, allowing the company to dismiss them without the normal protections against unjustified dismissal.
Alliance Party Leader Victor Billot says IAG is pushing for the right to sack new workers without having to justify their dismissal.
“This is exactly why we need a new Government and new laws that will protect the working-class majority from arbitrary abuses of power.”
Mr Billot says 90-day trial periods amount to a licence to fire at will.
The Alliance’s Workers’ Rights and Employment Policy directly addresses the erosion of workers’ rights, stating that “secure, fairly paid, meaningful work is a basic human right.”
The Alliance rejects the idea that workers’ wages and conditions should be treated simply as costs to be minimised, he says.
Mr Billot says the Alliance Party fully supports the workers’ decision to take industrial action for fair employment conditions.