Almost 10,000 public servants walked off the job across the country on Wednesday, with Māori workers saying the fight for better pay comes after job losses and cuts to Māori and Te Tiriti-focused roles across the public sector in the last few years.
Workers from the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Department of Internal Affairs, National Emergency Management Agency and Ministry for Ethnic Communities took part in strike action, with rallies and pickets held from Whangārei to Ōtepoti.
In Te Whanganui-a-Tara, PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Jack McDonald said workers were fighting for wages that kept pace with the rising cost of living and for the wider rights of public servants.
“Kei konei ēnei kaimahi ki te whawhai mō ā rātou utu ki te whakapiki i rātou utu Ki te whawhai mō ngā motika o te kaimahi nā te mea ka pēhi tēnei kāwanatanga o te motu ia rā.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi says workers have rejected pay offers that fall considerably below increases in the cost of living and has not ruled out further industrial action.
More than 5,000 MSD workers were due to strike for two hours, around 2,700 MBIE workers for more than four hours, while more than 1,300 workers across DIA, NEMA and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities were also taking part.
For Māori public servants, however, McDonald said the dispute was unfolding against a much wider backdrop.
“He tino taumaha i tēnei wā mō ngā kaimahi Māori i kite tātou i te maha o ngā tūranga mahi kua whakakorengia i kite tātou i ngā pēhitanga ki te Tiriti o Waitangi, i ngā kaupapa Māori ia rā, ia rā nā tēnei kāwanatanga.”
Māori and Te Tiriti-focused roles have been among those affected by repeated restructures across the public service.
Earlier this year, the Government announced plans to reduce the core public service to around 55,000 workers by 2029, which could mean about 8700 fewer jobs.
The PSA has previously warned Māori capability and Treaty-focused functions have already been significantly weakened by restructuring.
Changes have included cuts and restructures at Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Arawhiti and Māori-focused teams and functions across agencies including ACC, WorkSafe, Kāinga Ora, the Ministry of Health and Statistics New Zealand.
McDonald said that history meant standing together was about more than the latest round of collective bargaining.
“Nō reira ko te mea nui ka tū kotahi ai tātou, ngā kaimahi Māori, ngā kaimahi o te motu ki te whawhai o te kāwanatanga ki te panoni i te kāwanatanga.”
The strike comes as the Government also progresses wider changes to the public sector and Te Tiriti policy, including its review of Treaty clauses across legislation.
The Government argues its public service overhaul will reduce bureaucracy and redirect billions of dollars into frontline services, while its Treaty clause review is intended to provide greater clarity and consistency in the law.
For McDonald, the message from Māori workers was that protecting their conditions and protecting kaupapa Māori within the public service were connected.
“Āe, kia mātau o te pūkenga herehere tikanga mahi me panaia i tēnei kāwanatanga kia puawai anō ngā kaupapa Māori, kia puawai anō ngā motika o te kaimahi kia whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
