Wage freeze? No way!

Members of the Service and Food Workers Union employed in Public Hospitals throughout New Zealand will be on strike for 4 hours from 11am until 3pm on Friday 27 November 2009.

These workers, employed as cleaners, cooks, laundry workers, security workers and orderlies in our hospital are refusing to accept the government’s proposed wage freeze.

This strike action will be complimented by Community Support Workers employed by IDEA Services (IHC) striking from 11.30 am until 8.30 pm on the same day (Friday 27th November 2009). This strike being called in response to the ZERO % wage offer as a result of the same issue - lack of government funding.

We have just been informed that office staff in hospitals (PSA union members) will also strike in support of the fight against the wage freeze.

Our MP Ruth is well aware of the value to the community of these workers, as she was one of the 7 Christchurch MPs (4 Labour Party MPs , 1 Green MP , 1 Progressive MP and 1 Maori MP) who worked along side IDEA Services CSWs on Monday 5th October to raise public awareness of the great work that they do!!

The industrial action on the 27th November 2009 will involve marches, rallies and pickets across New Zealand. This will include a large rally in Victoria Square Christchurch from 12.30pm to 1.30 pm with Ruth being a speaker!! The rally will be followed by a march to the Hospital. A subsequent picket of IDEA Service Area office in Shirley has been arranged.

Other Union Members not taking industrial will be offering support and solidarity throughout the country.

Chas Muir, “The way to work out of a recession is to stimulate growth by giving workers decent pay so that they can buy things. A wage freeze stifles this ability and will only protract the recession. Our most poorly paid workers cannot cope with a wage freeze. Their every day cost of living goes up and they become progressively poorer!”