18/10/2025
Govt Strikes Back as Union Leader Warns of Massive Walkout
Govt Goes on Offensive Ahead of Mega-Strike, Union Leader Hits Back
The Government has gone on the offensive ahead of a planned mega-strike expected to involve around 100,000 workers this Thursday, with Public Service Minister Judith Collins publishing an open letter to New Zealanders.
The multi-sector strike will see teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers walk off the job, demanding better pay, safer staffing levels, and improved working conditions.
Collins issued a media release earlier this morning, setting the Government’s tone for the week ahead. She described the strike action as “unfair and unwarranted” and claimed it appeared to be “politically motivated by the unions.”
“To the patients, students, and families affected by this week’s planned strike, the Government regrets the impact on you, your children, and your families,” she wrote.
In suggesting the strikes were politically driven, Collins pointed to the number one item on the agenda for a meeting between Education Minister Erica Stanford and the secondary teachers’ union — Palestine.
“Not terms and conditions. Not student achievement. Not the new curriculum. Palestine. That’s not what students or parents should expect,” Collins wrote.
Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) president Chris Abercrombie called the letter “disappointing,” saying Stanford’s office had already told the union there would be no discussion on employment terms and conditions.
“We have working people living in cars because wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. That’s not an Aotearoa I want to live in, and it’s certainly not one that union members want to live in,” Abercrombie said.
He added that the meeting was cancelled before any agenda items were formally submitted and noted that Palestine was only one of several topics the union wanted to discuss, alongside NCEA changes and artificial intelligence in education. He said its placement at the top of the list did not indicate priority.
“No teacher wants to strike — we want to be in the classroom,” Abercrombie said. “Instead of being productive, the minister is taking side shots from overseas.”
Collins is currently in Washington DC for defence and security meetings.
In her letter, she also criticised the timing of the teachers’ strike, urging parents to question why it was scheduled during a week already disrupted by teacher-only days and the upcoming Labour Day.
Collins said the Government had acted in good faith, offering pay increases in line with inflation, and expressed concern for those whose medical appointments would be postponed due to the industrial action.
“This strike is unfair and unwarranted,” she reiterated, adding that while the Government valued public sector workers — including teachers, nurses, and doctors — it must also manage finances responsibly amid tight budgets and growing demands.
She pointed to increased public spending during the Covid-19 pandemic and rising national debt.
“It is only unions who want strikes. We ask, once again, for them to come to the table. That is the place to talk and to bargain,” Collins said.
