'More than praise, we need a raise': Thousands of public service workers strike across the country
Nearly 10,000 New Zealand public servants went on strike to protest stagnant wages and government plans to replace human roles with AI. Workers argue that current pay offers fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Why it matters
The strike reflects growing global tensions between public sector labor unions and governments over austerity measures and the rapid integration of automation in the workforce.
Almost 10,000 public servants went on strike across the country on Wednesday afternoon, with some taking industrial action for the first time in decades.
The Public Service Association (PSA) organised 18 rallies across 16 locations as part of its campaign against the government's approach to public sector pay, staffing and plans to replace thousands of public sector jobs with AI by 2029.
PSA national delegate Vaughan Trounson, who works at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), said salary bands for some people hadn't moved in half a decade.
Trounson, who works as a patent examiner, said members of his team were struggling.
"I've got a colleague who's said he hasn't had a pay rise in five years... I know for myself I moved into a house four years ago and rates were 5k a year, now they're 8k or 9k.
Hundreds gathered in the capital for Wednesday's strike.
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