From healthcare to public infrastructure, August saw a range of industrial action, sector wins, and legal updates worth paying attention to. Here’s a round-up of key developments from the last month.
1. Healthcare Strikes and Settlements
- Nurses continued rolling industrial action across the country, highlighting pay dissatisfaction and unsafe staffing levels.
- Midwives reached a settlement with Te Whatu Ora for a 3.5% pay increase, over 29 months, and a $235 lump sum payment.
2. Broader Public Sector Happenings
- NZPFU have issued FENZ two strike notices for partial strikes over pay and working conditions.
- ACC staff in multiple regions protested an “unacceptable” pay offer, calling for wages aligned with the Living Wage.
- Primary teachers held stop work meetings after rejecting the Ministry’s offer of a pay increase of 1% each year for three years.
- Secondary Teachers held a nationwide strike, and are returning to mediation, following the Ministry’s offer of 1% each year for three years.
- Ports of Auckland entered a new tripartite accord with Council and MUNZ to improve pay, transparency, and collaboration.
3. Private Sector Disruption
- McDonald’s members of Unite Union went on strike, rejecting a 40c/hour raise and calling for the Living Wage.
- Hornby Club staff launched multiple strikes protesting printed rate cuts and the Living Wage.
- Stuff staff took industrial action over poor pay conditions and slow progress in collective bargaining.
4. Legislative & Structural Shifts
- Pay Transparency Law officially passed, banning pay secrecy clauses effective from 27 August 2025.
- The Defence Force Cover Bill allows the NZDF uniformed staff to cover civilian roles during strikes – a move unions strongly oppose.
- The ERA has recently shared their Guide to Collective Bargaining Facilitation as a support tool for those requesting facilitation.
- The CTU (Council of Trade Unions) announced several policy proposals that a ‘worker friendly’ party may adopt. This includes a taxpayer-funded agency to provide training and support for workplace delegates – backed by Labour and Auckland Council as part of ongoing reform efforts at Ports of Auckland.
5. Pay Equity Under Legal Challenge
- Five major unions are taking legal action against the Government’s recent changes to pay equity laws – arguing that the amendments breach three fundamental rights: freedom from gender-based pay discrimination, the right to natural justice, and the right to fair legal process.
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Business Continuity Planning for Industrial Action
Now, more than ever before, it is important that your organisation is prepared in the event of industrial action occurring. Use this document to focus your team on all possible eventualities.
Benefits of using this template
- A full risk assessment is conducted to identify points of exposure in your business.
- The level of impact that the organisation could experience is weighted.
- Who should be in your response team.