• Posted on: 17/05/2022
  • 2 minutes to read
  • Tagged with: Community Public Services

Join us at a rally near you on Monday 23rd, and help us tell the government to #PayFairForCare

Region Time Location & Contact
Whangarei    12:00pm

Cameron Street Mall.
Contact: PSA organiser Nerinda Cropp 
Auckland    1:00pm

Outside Jacinda Ardern’s office
658 New North Rd, Morningside, Auckland
Hamilton    12:30pm

Meet at Grey St Kitchen, Hamilton East.
12:30 – 1:00 walk along Grey St towards Clyde St,
1pm: present letter at Jamie Strange’s office
Wellington    1:30-2:30pm

Heretaunga Boating Club
138 the Esplanade, Petone, Lower Hutt
Christchurch    1:30-2:30pm

Meet at the Bridge of Remembrance (Cashel St, CBD),
then march to MOH.
Dunedin    1:00pm

Outside David Clark’s office
544 Great King Street North, Dunedin
Remember to talk to your employer to reschedule your work (if required) so you can get to one of these rallies.

Unions representing care and support workers (E tū, NZNO, and PSA) are working toward an extension of the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Act 2017. Our goals are to increase pay rates for workers, and to extend the current legislation to lock in your pay, training, and progression rights while we work on a full pay equity process for the longer term. 

In discussions, the government has indicated it has funding for only a 2.5%-3% pay offer to workers for 18 months. This is not good enough, so we're going to....

Take action on May 23rd

We will be taking action on May 23rd to send a strong message to the government that the funding is not good enough, they must act urgently to increase the funding for workers’ pay rates, and to finalise the extension of the care and support legislation. 

Join the action, let’s make our voices loud and clear, the government must Pay Fair for Care! We are inviting you, your families, all care and support workers you know, clients and their representatives, providers, and their representatives to attend – because this is a significant problem for all of us.

Types of action you can take
  1. Join a rally near you (check out the schedule above for the when and where)
  2. Write to (or visit) your MP
  3. Sign our petition

Your employers are supportive of these actions, and we are asking them to facilitate your attendance where at all possible. If these events are in your normal work time please ask your employer if your roster can be changed so you can attend.

Want to do something else? Write to your local MP to let them know what you think. Set up a meeting with your local MP to raise this URGENT issue.

Find your MP here. https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/

There’s a background sheet with information you can use: here

Sign the petition online: https://www.change.org/p/nz-govt-pay-fair-for-care (Or search for: change.org Pay Fair For Care)

Download a printable version: Click here to download the printable version to sign hard copy.

Further information

We need to unite to show the Government, who fund your work, this is not nearly enough to recognise the hard work you do and have done throughout the pandemic as essential workers. The industry cannot afford to lose more of you to other jobs that pay better. And, most of all, your clients and residents need you. Unions will continue to meet with Government reps, but together we must show the Government how care and support workers feel about this insulting offer. 

For more information, check out the PSA Care and Support page at www.psa.org.nz/careandsupport2022