Strikes, lockouts, and protests dominated May, with senior doctors walking off the job, nurses escalating industrial action, and unions rallying nationwide for better protections. Add in new concerns around pay equity and budget access, and it’s been another big month in the world of work.
As always, here are the key events summarised with links for easy reading.
1. May Day Marked with National Action
Unions across the country took part in coordinated May Day action, highlighting issues around staffing, pay, and workplace conditions—particularly in health. The TEU reminded members that May Day has long been a global day of protest and solidarity for working people. Participating in the action were ASMS Senior Doctors, NZNO Auckland Theatre Nurses and PSA home healthcare workers.
2. Auckland Theatre Nurses Launch On-Call Strike
Hundreds of Auckland theatre nurses began on-call strike action in response to long-running unpaid overtime. NZNO says this industrial action is targeted, legal, and designed to address deeply embedded structural issues in how nurses’ hours are managed and compensated.
3. Concerns Over Pay Equity Rollback
Unions and workplace advocacy groups are raising red flags over the Government’s proposed changes to pay equity obligations. Diversity Works NZ says the shift could weaken employer accountability and create more barriers for workers raising claims.
4. Budget Lock-Out Raises Eyebrows
For the first time in years, union representatives were excluded from the official Budget 2025 media lock-up. The move was criticised by the CTU, who say it undermines trust and limits early engagement with policy changes that affect working people.
5. Living Wage Push at Resene
Workers at Resene Paints have gained strong public support, including from the mayor of Lower Hutt, as they campaign for the Living Wage. FIRST Union says the battle is emblematic of broader issues in low-paid, high-output private sector roles.