Health economists, Māori health experts, and medical practitioners who are members of the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi at Pharmac will take strike action this week amid an ongoing pay dispute.
The strike will involve staff walking off the job on Wednesday 9 July at 10:30am for one hour.
“The team at Pharmac, like many other Government agencies, are constantly being asked to deliver more with less,” said PSA National Secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons.
“Pharmac does essential work getting life-saving medicines to New Zealanders. Workers and their families deserve a fair pay increase and decent conditions of work, not this terrible pay offer and a reduction in their conditions of work.”
The union initiated bargaining in June 2024, but says Pharmac did not bargain until October.
At the bargaining, Pharmac management proposed a number of reductions in terms and conditions of employment, including a service eligibility for step pay progression and only making redundancy available to permanent staff, as well as a pay offer of 0.2%.
In June this year, the PSA proposed mediation after Pharmac proposed to remove members’ step pay system.
In mediation, Pharmac proposed a number of new reductions in terms and conditions. Most notably, it proposed a reduction in the size of step pay increases in exchange for a one-off ‘buyout’ of the step increase employees would have otherwise received this year.
“The public servants at Pharmac care deeply about serving New Zealanders. All they ask in return is the right pay and conditions so that they can do their jobs effectively,” Ms Fitzsimons says.
Pharmac staff will be picketing outside their office at 40 Mercer Street (pictured) from 10:30am-11:30am during the industrial action.
The parties are due to attend mediation with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment on 16 and 17 July.
