Fleur Fitzsimons: PSA National Secretary on the backlash to the negative ads against Thursday's mega-strike

The Labour Party says there needs to be a probe into the Public Service Commission posting ads about Thursday's mega-strike.  

About 100,000 workers in health and education are set to walk off the job later this week.

Several commission adverts have appeared on social media - outlining how it'll disrupt services.

PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the Commission is running political lines espoused by the Government.

"What they are doing is attempting to position themselves favourably with the public when it comes to a collective bargaining matter that is subject to good faith." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now there are some criticism of ads running on Facebook
ahead of Thursday's mega strikes. The ads have been taken
out by the Public Service Commission and an example of
one of the ads is this this coming Thursday, more
than eight eight hundred and forty five thousand students will
miss out on class time. Genuine offers have been made
in the opportunity to bargain remains open now. Fluford Simon's

(00:20):
is the National Secretary of the PSA and with us
Hello flur.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Now, good evening.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Are you among those criticizing these ads?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Here we are. These are an unprecedented and inappropriate waste
of public funds. We've never before seen paid social media
by the state to try and persuade the public of
the government's position and collective bargaining. It's really quite unheard of.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
How many public funds well, so far.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
We don't know the full cost. I think it's a
small amount, less than to but it's it's not really
the money, it's the principle of it. The Public Service
Commission is politically neutral. It's fine for the Prime Minister
and Simmy and Brown, Judith Collins to come out and
play the political game. That's fair enough. I completely understand that.

(01:07):
But the Public Service Commission is politically neutral. It's there
to serve the government of the day, and they themselves
talk about how they build and maintain trust of the
public in themselves as a public service institution, and really
this goes against its core purpose and they certainly wouldn't
let public servants get away with this kind of action.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
What have they done that's not neutral here is that
they haven't taken a political position.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Really, what they're trying to do is persuade the public
of their position in collective bargaining. First of those, you're
not to try it.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
What's wrong with that? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Absolutely, and so as cabinet ministers and cabinet minister's role
totally appropriate, no problem with it, even though I think
they're being quite unhelpful, But that's up to them. But
the Public Service Commission is politically neutral. They are meant
to protect the political neutrality of the whole of the
public service and not enter into the political political It's.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Not potables dispute. There's no politics in it. Unless you're
telling me there's politics in it, Flir.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
There's definitely politics in it. Something of health and education
services are always political. They are political choices made by
the government of the day. But really, what the Public
Service Commissions meant to do is be politically neutral.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Let me just explain something to you from my perspective.
This is an employment dispute. Right, So there are a
bunch of people who are unionized, not political, just unionized
workers who are striking against the government, well against their employer.
Their employer is the Public Service Commission, not political again, right,
so this is this is both sides of an employment dispute,
explaining to the public why their services are disrupted. I

(02:43):
don't know how that is political to you. I don't
know how you can accuse the Public Service Commission of
being political when all they're doing is explaining an employment dispute.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
What they are doing is attempting to position themselves favorably
with the public when it comes to a collective bag
matter that is subject to good faith. They are running
the government's political lines, not the politically neutral position that
Public Service Commission just to run. They are operating outside
of their guidance and it is unprecedented. I don't mind

(03:14):
politicians doing it due to Colin's fair game, openly a
fair game. This is politically coordinated and politically motivated, not
politically neutral or not the role of the Public Service Commissioner.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Where is it political, because actually this is political from
you guys have started your labor aligned You've all got
together on one day to try and make as much
difficulty for a national led government, and so you see
the Public Service Commission as political because they're opposed to
you and your political Well, let's be.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Clear, strikes have happened under labor governments and under national governments.
But yes, it is political how much you choose to
fund public health and education services. And it is political
when there are vacancies unfilled in our hospitals, people working
double shifts, dietitians not being able to provide advice to
cancer patients, children not getting cleft palate surgery. These are

(04:05):
things our members are saying are happening in public hospitals
right now. Is that political? Of course it is. It
is a political choice about funding public hospitals and schools,
and that is made by the government and they need
to take responsibility for that, not the Public Service Commission
trying to influence the public through paid social media.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Though, Flir, it's good to talk to you. Thank you
for coming on that's Flirford Simons, who's the PSA National Secretary.
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