The 3.5-hour protest and strike was triggered by a breakdown in talks between the union and the university after eight months of negotiations.
Union organiser Shane Vugler said the process had “hit a wall.”
“The university has budgeted for a $24 million increase in revenue in 2024, of which only $4 million is allocated to salary improvement,” Vuglers said.
“Since the budget was set, between $6m to $7m is being cut from personnel costs through restructuring, redundancy, enhanced retirement and a hiring freeze.”
As a result, Vuglers said, union members’ workloads have grown “exponentially”.
“Over the course of negotiations, [the union has] reduced our claim significantly, and it now sits at 5 per cent,” Vuglers said.
“Meanwhile, after eight months at the table, the university has only increased their offer by 0.1 per cent.”
According to Vugler, the current offer to union members is a 2.85 per cent salary increase or 3.5 per cent if the union agrees to a delay.
University of Waikato staff organised a strike during the institution's open day, demanding a 5 per cent pay rise. Photo / Maryana Garcia
“[The delayed increase] would deliver less money than the 2.85 per cent offer over the full term of the agreement,” Vugler said.
“Our 5 per cent claim fits within their $4 million budget for salary increases if they also agree to a three-month delay before they pass the increase on to non-members, who do not do any of the mahi or pay the union fees that enable us to negotiate.”
Vugler said union members were “very angry”.
“They call on the Vice Chancellor to send his team back to the table with a mandate to increase their offer.”
At the protest, Vugler read an anonymised email to the crowd of over 100 staff attending the protest.
“My mortgage has doubled. My rates have gone up. My insurance is beyond comprehension. I can barely afford food. Most fortnights, I end up with a few dollars left in my bank,” the email said.
“None of us want to strike on Open Day but this is the only option we seem to be left with.”
The email was addressed to University of Waikato vice-cancellor Neil Quigley.
University of Waikato health promotions coordinator and union branch co-president Dr Tāwhanga Nopera (Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa, Tainui, Ngāpuhi). Photo / Maryana Garcia
University of Waikato health promotions coordinator and union branch co-president Dr Tāwhanga Nopera (Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa, Tainui, Ngāpuhi) said many staff were feeling uncertainty about the future and anxiety about what could happen next.
“What we’re really seeing is someone with power saying to people with no power, ‘I make the decisions’.”
Nopera said staff felt that they were not being heard despite a long negotiation process.
“Standing up is part of what people do in the political and democratic process of change,” Nopera said.
“Standing up and talking about the problems and being a collective, being whanau, that’s what matters here.”
The strike ran for 3.5 hours on Friday concluding with a rally outside the university’s Pā at 11.30am.
A University of Waikato spokesperson told the Waikato Herald formal negotiations had “broken down”.
A University of Waikato spokesperson told the Waikato Herald formal negotiations had “broken down”.
“We have made our best offer for staff given we are still anticipating a budget deficit this year,” the spokesperson said.
“We are focused on achieving financial sustainability with minimal impact on our staffing levels and our teaching, research and wider operations.”
The spokesperson said the university recognised and respected the rights of union members to strike.
“We note that a significant number of union members have indicated their support for Open Day and our recruitment initiatives by declining to join the strike.”
The spokesperson said the university was focused on minimising negative impacts of the strike on students and staff, in particular on Open Day.
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based multimedia reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.
