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Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Public Service Association Endorses Government's War Agenda
New Zealand's largest trade union, the Public Service Association (PSA), is fervently supporting moves to roughly double the military budget in preparation for war. Under the guise of seeking to protect jobs in the NZ Defence Force (NZDF), the union has denounced the National Party-led government, from the right, for not maintaining a strong enough military to join the coming US-led war against China. The NZDF confirmed on July 21 that it intends to cut 255 civilian jobs. They include roles in the army, air force, strategy, financial, health and safety, defence college, joint defence services, joint support group, chief of staff office and veterans affairs. It brings a total of one in ten positions axed in the last year, including 'voluntary' redundancies. A further 45 may also be cut. At the same time, a major escalation of military front-line capability, equipment and weaponry is under way. With the support of the opposition Labour Party, the government plans to nearly double defence spending from just over 1 percent to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a $NZ9 billion increase, in line with demands of the US Trump administration and NATO powers. Defence Minister Judith Collins last week told graduating army recruits to prepare for the real possibility of combat 'as the world faces its most complex and volatile global environment in decades.' Nearly 700 NZDF troops this month joined the massive Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia, a multi-national dress rehearsal for war against China. A NZDF spokesperson told Stuff they were 'reprioritising' the workforce to focus on 'maintaining combat readiness' and 'delivering core military activities.' It is establishing 276 new civilian roles while disestablishing 281 currently filled with a further 250 vacant positions not replaced. The PSA criticised the cuts from the standpoint of promoting the government's vast military buildup. The union's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons condemned the cuts as 'incredibly shortsighted' and 'not how you build a modern, combat-ready defence force at a time of rising security risks.' Fitzsimmons added that civilian defence workers were needed to support new investment in military equipment and technology and warned the cuts would force 'those in uniform to pick up the work of the civilian workers. That is not what they signed up to do and won't help NZDF improve retention.' Fitzsimons commented: 'This is all about saving money, not strengthening security. It doesn't make any sense when tensions are rising across the Asia Pacific area and in Europe… It was only a few months ago that a warship from China was in the Tasman Sea.' In February a 'live fire' exercise by three Chinese warships in nearby international waters was seized upon by the New Zealand and Australian governments, along with the corporate media, to stoke hysteria about an escalating 'threat' posed by Beijing and to justify the military spend-up. The US and its allies routinely carry out naval drills in waters close to the Chinese mainland. The pro-war position advanced by Fitzsimons is thoroughly anti-working class. It expresses the reactionary nationalist outlook of the labour and trade union bureaucracies at home and abroad that are closely integrated with the capitalist state. In May, Spain's General Union of Workers (UGT) and Workers' Commissions (CCOO), the two largest trade union federations, threw their full support behind the European Union's plans for mass rearmament, aligning themselves with the European establishment's preparations for war against Russia. In the US, the leader of the United Auto Workers Union, Shawn Fain, a rabid Trump supporter, has cited the collaborationist labour mobilisation of the American economy during World War II as the model for today's trade unions. There is mass opposition to war, witnessed in the ongoing protests against the genocide in Gaza. In every country, however, including in New Zealand, the union bureaucracy has refused to take any action to stop the supply of weapons and other materials for Israel's war machine. All the imperialist powers are involved the rapidly escalating wars that are engulfing the globe. New Zealand is no exception. A minor imperialist power in the Pacific and a US ally, it is part of the US-led Five Eyes spying network; NZ troops are in Britain training Ukrainian conscripts to fight Russia; and NZ forces are involved in repeated provocative military exercises aimed against China. The trade union apparatus supports the war drive of its 'own' national bourgeoisie because it represents the interests of a privileged layer of the upper middle class, whose wealth is bound up with enhancing the position of NZ imperialism. Unmentioned by Fitzsimons and other union leaders is the fact that the massive armaments upgrades can only be carried out at the expense of the social conditions and basic rights of the entire working class. The PSA is an accomplice in the deepening attacks on jobs and conditions among public sector workers. Prior to the 2023 election the union openly supported Labour's own plan to slash public service budgets by up to 4 percent as 'a prudent move to tighten the belt'—as PSA leader Duane Leo put it in a Radio NZ interview. Fitzsimons was a Labour candidate in that election. In the past 18 months, NZ's far-right government has launched a scorched earth policy against all the social services on which the working class depends. Over 10,000 public sector jobs have been eliminated with no serious resistance from the PSA, which has over 95,000 members, or any of the unions. With unemployment increasing from 3.6 percent in 2023 to 5.1 percent this month and forecast to continue rising, the government is increasingly despised. The right-wing nationalist NZ First and libertarian ACT Parties—which are part of the National-led coalition government—are leading the assault on the working class, despite gaining only 6.08 percent and 8.6 percent respectively of the popular vote in 2023. A broad-based mobilisation against job losses in the public and private sectors would win widespread support in the working class. The government's 2024 budget was handed down amid nationwide protests. In the capital, Wellington, a crowd of 7,000 descended onto parliament grounds while protests coincided with a two-day strike over pay by 2,500 junior doctors. Since then, the unions have dissipated the opposition, with the Council of Trade Unions boasting a purported new 'policy vision' that will be unveiled for the 2026 elections. The corporatist unions have enforced the thousands of job cuts. The PSA's strategy has been to take a handful of legal cases in the Employment Relations Authority, including against the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Health NZ, over the way in which the cuts have been managed. Instead of challenging mass layoffs, the union insists that they are carried out according to provisions in employment agreements which require 'consultation' with the unions. PSA spokesman Leo declared the MoE had rushed through its restructure without complying with the collective agreement, which requires the MoE and PSA to first 'try to agree to the outcomes of cost-cutting exercises and present that view to the management of the MoE.' The fight against austerity cannot be separated from the struggle against war. The demand must be raised for the vast resources being wasted on the military to be redirected to solve the crisis in public education and healthcare, and to put an end to poverty and homelessness. But to carry forward a real fight against war and austerity, workers and young people must recognise who their enemies are. They face a political struggle against not only the National Party-led government, but also the opposition Labour Party and its allies—the Greens, Te Pāti Māori, the various pseudo-left organisations—and the union bureaucracy. The PSA's open support for escalating war preparations against China underscores the urgent need for workers to build new organisations that they themselves control. Rank-and-file committees should be established in every workplace, independent of the union apparatus, to mobilise the working class against militarism and war, and to defend jobs, working conditions and vital public services. This fight must be informed by a socialist political perspective, aimed at putting an end to the capitalist system, which is plunging the world into war.
ABC News
31-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
NSW farmers fear job cuts at DPIRD could leave them open to biosecurity threats
Farmers fear proposed cuts to research and development roles at the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) could leave the state vulnerable to biosecurity and climate threats. The NSW government on Tuesday announced plans to cut 165 jobs from the department, equating to a 4 per cent reduction in staff. The Public Service Association (PSA) told the ABC 55 of those jobs would be from the DPIRD's agriculture and biosecurity teams. Farmers in the north of the state are concerned the cuts will leave the agriculture industry open to biosecurity threats at a state and federal level. Toorooka cattle farmer David Duff pointed to biosecurity issues producers were already facing. "We've had varroa mite, we've had tropical soda apple and we've got red fire ants that are on the march over the border down into New South Wales," he said. "If you haven't got the staff on the ground to be able to implement biosecurity measures when we have outbreaks of whatever it is, the consequences to primary industry production are massive, and then to the country." Mr Duff said safeguarding the agriculture industry needed to be a priority. Moree-based NSW Farmers Association vice president Rebecca Reardon said the job cuts were a "short-sighted" move and fewer boots on the ground could be "devastating" for biosecurity in the state. "We've got so many challenges in agriculture — around climate change, input costs, biosecurity threats, pressure to decrease emissions, productivity issues — that to cut back on research when we're aiming to be a $30 billion output industry just seems very short-sighted on the government's part," Ms Reardon said. She said with threats such as lumpy skin disease and mad cow disease "on the back doorstep," maintaining strong biosecurity was vital. "Any savings they make by cutting staff and those on the ground, well they'll be blown out of the water if we have one of these incursions," Ms Reardon said. DPIRD secretary Steve Orr previously told the ABC the job cuts were set to affect roles that were made permanent despite only having temporary funding, back office administrative roles and duplicate management positions across several divisions. He said there would not be an impact on frontline services offered by the department. The Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute, which tests soil and water quality following floods and fires, will be significantly impacted by the cuts. The PSA said all 12 to 13 jobs at the institute's environmental lab would be lost. Earlier this week, a DPIRD spokesperson said there would be no changes to its office locations and all impacted staff would have the opportunity to be redeployed across the department or other parts of the NSW public service. The union said the planned relocation of the environment lab, from northern NSW to Wagga Wagga in the state's south-west, would complicate the redeployment of its staff. Greens MP and rice farmer Sue Higginson said she had seen firsthand the research and development work conducted at the site. "We can't afford any job losses in our region right now, particularly ones that are doing this kind of deeper scientific research about how to build our resilience, how to understand our changing climate and how we adapt," she said. The ABC has contacted the NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty and Lismore MP Janelle Saffin for comment. Mr Orr was also contacted for further comment.
Otago Daily Times
24-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Legal action against MBIE over flexible working
The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment recently introduced a new flexible work policy intended to align with the government's directive to restrict flexible work arrangements for public service workers, including reducing days working from home. That directive is also subject to legal action by the Public Service Association (PSA) and the union has filed proceedings with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). "Cracking down on flexible work is the wrong approach from employers in 2025," PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. The union originally raised objections to MBIE's flexible work guidance last month, but attempts to resolve the dispute through mediation had failed, she said. "MBIE hasn't been willing to back down, leaving the PSA with no choice but to take this step to protect the rights of MBIE staff included in existing agreements." The ministry could not just change existing agreements, which were protected under the collective agreement, she said. "The collective agreement binds MBIE to supporting flexible work, so its new policy is simply unlawful. "We are seeking a determination from the ERA that MBIE is violating the 'flexible by default' approach which forms part of its collective agreement with members." The PSA hoped the authority would allow the MBIE case to be joined to the broader case against the Public Service Commission. MBIE response MBIE's chief people officer Jennifer Nathan said consistent with the Public Service Commission's Flexible Working (work from home) guidance for the public service received last year, MBIE had updated its flexible working policy in line with government expectations. "Conversations with the Public Service Association regarding the updated policy have been ongoing, including attending mediation with the PSA on 8 July. To date the parties have been unable to reach an agreement on resolving the PSA's concerns. "MBIE does not accept the PSA view that the review and refresh of the flexible working policy and procedures is a breach of the Collective Agreement." MBIE was notified yesterday that the union intend to file legal proceedings and was awaiting more information, she said.
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Defence Force cuts 255 civilian roles to focus on front-line personnel
(File) NZDF is cutting 255 civilian roles to help it focus on front line personnel. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force The Defence Force is cutting 255 civilan roles as part of a restructure. The agency said it is getting rid of 281 filled roles but establishing 276 new ones, meaning five currently filled positions will be axed. The remaining 250 jobs to be cut are currently vacant. The restructure was announced earlier this year , in March, when it was thought the net loss of roles would be about 370. In a statement, NZDF said the changes would help it focus on "maintaining combat readiness and delivering on core military activities". "In making decisions, the NZDF has consulted with staff and unions, and the feedback received has meant some changes that were initially proposed will not go ahead." Further consultation is still underway on alternative proposals, it said. "Throughout this process, the NZDF has ensured that as many staff as possible are placed into suitable alternative positions in the new structure." The Public Service Association said about 10 percent of the agency's civilian jobs were being cut and that the changes would increase already heavy workloads. This would lead to more stress and burnout, and force those in uniform to pick up the shortfall, it said. National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the government was fooling itself if it thought cutting so many jobs was how to build a modern, combat-ready defence force, at a time of rising security risks. She was pleased the government was investing in military equipment and technology , but said it was blind to the fact that civilian defence workers - like engineers and IT specialists - were needed to support this. Fitzsimons said staff were told the tough fiscal environment has forced Defence to make deep cuts in a number of areas, including cancelling some training activities and major exercises; reducing flying hours, sea days and other training, and; pausing property maintenance. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Auckland mental health facility Segar House to close
Auckland mental health facility Rauaroha Segar House is set to close. Photo: Google Maps Street View An Auckland mental health programme catering for people with long-standing or chronic problems will shut down. On Thursday afternoon, Health NZ told patients and staff of Rauaroha Segar House the service would close its doors. Operating from its central-city Khyber Pass Road base, Segar House is a publicly-funded, intensive programme that involves group therapy and is focused on allowing people to function in society. The service had an allocation of seven full-time equivalent staff members, although RNZ was told it had been operating below that, and 10 patients at any given time. Health NZ has been consulting on its proposal to shut Segar House since April and, in its change proposal, said not enough people were treated there and staff would be better deployed elsewhere. Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union "strongly objects" to the closure. "Despite the critical life-saving work done at Segar House, Health New Zealand has today announced its decision to shut this unique, much-needed service," she said. "This is terrible news for staff, those who rely on the specialist support offered at Segar House, and their loved ones." The union called on Health NZ and the government to reverse the decision and instead "commit to properly funding Segar House". "The team working at Segar House are devastated. They know this decision will have tragic consequences," Fitzsimons said. She said people who used Segar House's services included those with horrific trauma and complex health histories. "They can only come to Segar House when they've already exhausted all other options - it's the last option for these mental health patients." The Public Service Association says it "strongly objects" to the closure. Photo: 123RF Labour spokeswoman for mental health Ingrid Leary also said news of the closure was devastating. "It's very specialised and there isn't actually an alternative. People should be able to get the care they need in the community, so what's going to happen to those people now?" She criticised the government for focusing on cuts, and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey for not showing leadership. Doocey has been contacted for comment. "It's painfully short-sighted as all communities need primary, secondary and tertiary levels of mental healthcare to some degree, and reopening facilities like this is much harder to do once they've been shut down - as the UK has discovered recently when trying to reverse similar decisions," Leary said. Staff and many patients have said no other programmes offered the same treatment. Staff proposed an alternative plan to keep Segar House open, and widen the criteria for those who could use the service, but this has not convinced Health NZ. Changes introduced six years ago meant only people who had failed in other settings were eligible, although the PSA said a recent trial with lower admission criteria was successful. Less than a week ago the PSA sent Health NZ a lawyer's letter asking officials to reopen consultation on the proposed closure. The PSA said it was still seeking legal advice about this. This came after Leary obtained correspondence that showed Segar House's lease was to expire last year, before a last-minute extension, and no discussion about alternative venues. Health NZ said lease arrangements had nothing to do with its closure plan. Leary said today she was disappointed consultation was not reopened. Health NZ has been contacted for comment. An online petition run by the PSA, calling for Segar House to remain, has more than 2600 signatures. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
