Collins Admits Plans To Restrict The Right To Strike – PSA

Public Service Minister Judith Collins’ admission in Parliament that the Government is looking at restricting public sector workers’ fundamental right to strike is deeply concerning and demands further explanation, says the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

In response to questions in Parliament yesterday from Camilla Belich, Collins stated the Government is “looking at how we can strengthen the bargaining system so that people might have better options available before racing off to strike, such as, for instance, mediation or any other sorts of facilitated bargaining.”

PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says Judith Collins needs to come clean about exactly what the Government is planning, as mediation and facilitation already exist and are regularly used.

“Judith Collins admitted in Parliament that the Government is looking to further limit the right to strike. This is a very serious matter and demands an urgent explanation.

“The right to strike is a cornerstone of our democratic workplace relations system. Any attempt to restrict this fundamental right would be a direct attack on working people’s ability to negotiate fair wages and conditions.

“This Government has already shown it is willing to remove basic rights without consultation when it stripped away women’s pay equity rights in the dead of night. It has also already undermined the right to strike by introducing pay deductions for partial strikes.

“Collins talks about ‘better options’ but what she’s really talking about is forcing workers into new processes that favour employers and which remove the remaining few tools workers have to push back. There are already significant limits on the right to strike in New Zealand.

“The right to withdraw labour is fundamental to the balance of power in workplace negotiations and should not be further restricted.”

The PSA is calling on Collins to rule out any further restrictions on the right to strike and to instead focus on ensuring public sector workers receive fair pay rises that keep pace with the rising cost of living.

“Public sector workers provide essential services to New Zealand and face the same cost of living pressures as everyone else. They deserve to be paid fairly and treated with respect, not have their rights stripped away,” Fitzsimons said.

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.