Allied health workers vote to strike on same day as primary school teachers

Allied health workers strike in Auckland in 2022. Photo / RNZ, Felix Walton

More than 11,500 allied health staff – such as physiotherapists, social workers and health assistants – will strike on October 23, the same day as tens of thousands of primary school teachers and workers.

Allied health staff cover over 60 professions in public health, clinical support and a range of specialised technical roles – including anaesthetic technicians and Māori health specialists.

The Public Service Association (PSA) said allied health staff voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, after what it described as the failure of Health New Zealand (HNZ) to provide a fair offer since bargaining started in June.

“These are critical health workers who see first-hand how the health system is failing New Zealanders every day – they want to see the Government fund health services properly.

“Health NZ needs to listen to the voice of workers and come back to the bargaining table with an offer that provides for safer staffing levels, ends delays in recruiting new staff, and a better pay offer that reflects their value to the health system,” said national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.

Fitzsimons said the pay offer was for a 2% rise, followed by a 1.5% increase over a 30-month period, which she said was well below inflation.

Meanwhile, HNZ said the offer is fair, and it had not received an official strike notification from PSA.

PSA vice-president Dianna Mancer, who also worked as an occupational therapist in the Mid-Central region, said she and her colleagues were working over capacity and constantly carrying vacancies.

She said the current offer did not address the recruitment challenges and retention issues.

“I can’t remember the last time as a department that we were fully staffed.

“We have a high turnover of staff, we are losing younger staff overseas to Australia mainly, or to private practices, or leaving the health workforce.”

Mancer said the offer also did not recognise the work allied health staff did under increasingly difficult circumstances.

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the union for senior doctors – the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – were also soon to decide on whether to take industrial action later this month.

– RNZ