‘This is absolutely political’: New Zealand rocked by mega strike

More than 100,000 essential workers, including nurses, teachers, and firefighters participated in a “mega strike” on 23 October, in New Zealand’s most significant industrial action in 40 years. More than 3.5 percent of the country’s working population struck, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Workers were also protesting against ongoing cuts to public services by the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxson.

Workers gathered in towns and cities across the North Island, tens of thousands protesting in Auckland and around 10,000 in Hamilton. Desiree Davis, a teacher at Whangārei Primary School, told RNZ that the current pay offer for primary teachers from the government is “absolutely atrocious”. “$1 extra an hour over a period of three years. Like, let that sink in. 60 cents one year, maybe 25 cents the following and 15 cents the following year. How does that keep up with the rate of inflation?”, she asked.

Others pointed to collapsing health, education and emergency services as reasons for marching. While severe weather meant many could not gather outdoors in the rest of the country, those at home displayed their protest signs in their windows and on social media.

In the lead-up to the strike, the government attacked unions and workers. The minister for public services, Judith Collins, published an open letter in which she attempted to discredit the strike by portraying it as “politically motivated by the unions”, as well as whining that the government was “simply not earning enough to meet all these calls” (for wage increases). Collins penned this attack while schmoozing with top figures in the Trump administration, including tea with her “good friend” US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The government announced plans to spend an additional $9 billion on defence earlier this year, bringing spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2032. It has also found billions for police, tax cuts for landlords, the wealthy, and corporations.

Collins also claimed the unions were more interested in discussing Palestine than working conditions. Chris Abercrombie, president of the post-primary teachers associations (NZPPTA), clarified this was a reference to a motion moved at the last NZPPTA conference condemning the genocide in Gaza and stating that “peace is union business”.

While the government’s comments were meant to discredit the strike, they nevertheless reflect something positive about the political climate. Many workers in New Zealand have been politicised and some radicalised by Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the government’s attacks on Māori, workers and the poor. This could be seen in the signs at various rallies, including “Toitū te Tiriti” (referencing a recent mass protest movement for Māori rights). Māori and Palestinian flags were also visible.

David Phillips, station officer for Fire and Emergency NZ, responded to this attack when speaking to the rally in Auckland, saying; “Make no mistake, this is absolutely political. Last time we were on strike, it was a Labour government. It’s not about you ... This is about all politicians”, he said. “Your systems are broken.”

Decades of attacks on unions from both sides of the political spectrum have undoubtedly led to this crisis, but many view this government’s viciousness as the last straw. Since being elected in 2023, the Luxson government has repealed fair pay laws, extended 90-day trial periods across more workplaces, introduced punitive measures for welfare recipients and cut spending on social services.

The most recent Social Cohesion Report from the Ministry of Social Development found that the number of people cutting back on fresh fruit and vegetables had increased from 23 percent in 2018 to nearly 48 percent in 2023; a quarter of people went hungry sometimes or often because of a lack of money. Just under 30 percent said they had put off or delayed visits to the doctor because of financial considerations, up from 25 percent in 2018 and 14 percent in 2014.

More people are leaving the country than entering every year, overwhelmingly to Australia, where salaries are higher. The average salary of a nurse in New Zealand is A$73,652, while in Victoria, Australia, the average is $90,745. The 2024 OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey found that teachers in New Zealand worked the second-most hours in the world, behind only Japan. Many feel that public services will not function in a generation’s time as people either move overseas or into the private sector.

Workers in New Zealand are refusing to sacrifice their quality of life while corporate profits and defence spending soar. The mega strike showed their potential power and sent a message to those in power that they can’t rely on business as usual so long as workers’ lives and the services they rely on are trashed.