More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff went on strike Thursday, demanding higher pay and better funding for public services, a clear sign of dissatisfaction with centre-right government.
Workers marched with placards and banners in towns across New Zealand, chanting and listening to speeches. Protests in Wellington and Christchurch had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions.
In a joint statement last week, the unions billed the strike as the largest in decades with more than 100,000 public servants taking part.
Middlemore Hospital emergency doctor and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Vice President Sylvia Boys told the crowd at Aotea Square in Auckland the government had been elected on promises to reduce the cost of living while maintaining frontline services and it was “fair to say these are the issues on which they are failing dismally.”
“The cost of living has worsened, and in health and education we have seen cuts across the sector. We are losing more talent than ever before,” she added in her speech, which was published on Facebook by the ASMS union.
The government has disregarded the protests as a union-orchestrated political stunt, even though the protests emphasize growing public frustration over the administration's direction.
Opinion polls suggest declining approval for the ruling coalition, but the opposition has not yet pulled ahead.
Since coming to power in 2023, the conservative government has lowered new public spending in its attempts to return the government's accounts to surplus. They said the cuts would mainly be in the back office operations and would keep interest rates low, while ensuring New Zealand keeps its reputation of being a good place to invest.
The economy has faltered, shrinking in three of the past five quarters, while record numbers of New Zealanders continue to leave the country. Inflation has eased from its peak but has edged up again in recent months.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins said in a statement on Wednesday that the proposed strike was unfair, unproductive and unnecessary.
“It is a stunt targeting the Government but the people paying the price are the thousands of patients who have had appointments and surgeries cancelled, and the hundreds of thousands of kids who will miss another day at school,” she said.
The government said that it was ready to negotiate.
Bangladesh has called for increased climate financing and faster delivery of support to vulnerable nations, arguing that current global funding commit...
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian asset...
Apple is facing a £3 billion lawsuit in the United Kingdom after a competition tribunal approved a major collective action over its iCloud storage se...
Iran has strengthened ties with regional partners and agreed a roadmap for technical talks with the U.S. aimed at securing a final peace agreement wit...
Belgium has issued 24-hour visas to a Taliban delegation attending European Union migration talks in Brussels, as EU member states explore ways to ret...
Bangladesh has called for increased climate financing and faster delivery of support to vulnerable nations, arguing that current global funding commitments fall far short of what developing countries need to tackle the growing impacts of climate change.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Apple is facing a £3 billion lawsuit in the United Kingdom after a competition tribunal approved a major collective action over its iCloud storage service.
Iran has strengthened ties with regional partners and agreed a roadmap for technical talks with the U.S. aimed at securing a final peace agreement within two months.
At least thirteen people have died and sixty-six have been injured following an explosion at Qatar's main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hub at Ras Laffan, authorities said on Sunday.
Cape Verde’s remarkable FIFA World Cup debut continued on Sunday (21 June) as the tournament newcomers held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. Goalkeeper Vozinha was once again at the centre of the story, this time with his mother watching from the stands.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on a landmark internet deal that will allow traffic to pass through Azerbaijani networks.It's the latest deal to highlight the ongoing peace process between the two countries.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Bangladesh has called for increased climate financing and faster delivery of support to vulnerable nations, arguing that current global funding commitments fall far short of what developing countries need to tackle the growing impacts of climate change.
Apple is facing a £3 billion lawsuit in the United Kingdom after a competition tribunal approved a major collective action over its iCloud storage service.
Amnesty International has accused the European Union of being complicit in human rights abuses after authorities in eastern and western Libya intensified a crackdown on migrants and refugees through mass arrests, detentions and expulsions.
Belgium has issued 24-hour visas to a Taliban delegation attending European Union migration talks in Brussels, as EU member states explore ways to return some Afghans convicted of serious crimes or considered security threats.
Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of Scotland's governing Scottish National Party (SNP), has been jailed for five years and three months after admitting to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over a 13-year period
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment