“We will answer 111 calls during the hour and respond to fires in strike affected areas, but our responses will be delayed because our callouts will have to be covered by volunteers.
“We don’t see the point in putting the community at risk with this strike while that process plays out,” Stiffler said.
NZPFU national secretary Wattie Watson said the strike is a bid to try and get Fire and Emergency and the Government to act to address the dire state of the fire service.
“The NZPFU has worked hard to try and find a way through to settlement. We have been innovative in developing options for settlement and repeatedly urged Fenz [Fire and Emergency New Zealand] to return to the table willing to actually negotiate.”
Watson said Fire and Emergency dropped a 260-page restructure document that culls about 160 jobs without consulting with the NZPFU or the PSA.
“What we need is for Fenz to negotiate rather than continue to hide behind alleged government restrictions as a barrier to settlement,” Watson said.
The NZPFU said it is fighting for safe systems of work, better access to mental health programmes, efficient occupational cancer and illness processes, full reimbursement of occupational disease blood testing, fair and reasonable wages and other “important” claims.
The industrial action follows the “mega-strike” on October 23, where tens of thousands of public sector workers went on one of the largest strikes in New Zealand’s recent history.
An estimated 100,000 workers, including doctors, nurses, teachers, and prison staff, took part in the “mega-strike”.
Health workers striking today include Allied Health staff, mental health and public health nurses and healthcare assistants, and those covered by the policy, advisory, knowledge and specialist (Paks) collective agreement.
PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said workers were striking for safe staffing, fair pay, and better conditions for patients.
“These workers are standing up for the public health system that New Zealanders need and deserve,” Fitzsimons said.
Since then, the parties have attended mediation through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, but no settlement has been reached, the PSA said.
“Unfortunately, Health NZ and this Government still refuse to hear concerns about the state of our health system. We need to see a commitment to fill vacancies quickly and staff hospitals properly.
“Health NZ’s offer would mean workers go backwards. The health system is currently being held together by these workers’ goodwill for their patients. It’s not sustainable, not fair on workers, and doesn’t serve patients well either,” Fitzsimons said.
Life-preserving service staff levels have been agreed between the PSA and Health NZ for the duration of the strike, the union said.
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.