10,000 workers to strike for fair pay, says PSA National Secretary.

Ten thousand public servants, including those based in Hamilton, will take part in a nationwide strike on Wednesday, September 9.

Public Service Association (PSA) National Secretary Duane Leo said they are striking for fair pay.

The PSA said the strike will begin at 1 pm and is intended to send a clear message to employers and the Government that public servants will not back down in their bargaining for better pay and improved service delivery.

“These public servants are facing pay offers well below inflation while working amid the devastating consequences of the Government’s public service cuts,” Leo said.

Workers taking part in the strike include staff from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry for Ethnic Communities (MEC), the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union representing public sector workers.

Leo said despite months of bargaining, these employers and the Government still refuse to hear concerns about the state of public services.

“These pay offers would send public servants backwards. And public servants are telling us their agencies’ ability to deliver is getting worse. We need commitments to fair pay and proper resourcing.”

“Tension has been building for months, and now it’s at breaking point. Public servants are fed up with a government that overworks and undervalues them.”

Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith told reporters today that the strike by workers from MSD, MBIE, DIA and other agencies was politically motivated, describing it as part of the PSA’s Change the Government election campaign.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said public servants “should be at work” instead, and that negotiations should continue without industrial action.

Leo responded: “Workers have a fundamental right to strike, and the Government should respect that and focus on settling this dispute.

“All these public servants are seeking is a fair deal for themselves and their families at a time when they, like so many others, are facing huge pressures on their household budgets.

“We are not ruling out further strike action if offers do not improve.

“That’s what the strikes are all about, a pay increase that allows them to deal with the cost‑of‑living crisis the Government promised to fix.

“If the Government wants them to stop the strikes, the solution is in their hands, and we encourage Minister Goldsmith to focus on that rather than attacking the messenger.”

Leo said the strike will end in the late evening on 9 September with details about pickets and rallies to be published on the PSA website once confirmed.