Liam Rutherford: NZEI spokesperson on Thursday's strike action being impacted by weather

Both sides of an education pay dispute claim they were always open to negotiations. 

The mega-strike is winding down after some 100,000 health workers, teachers, and public sector staff walked off the job. 

Education Minister Erica Stanford says it's disappointing - considering the Government's been willing to keep the issue at the bargaining table. 

NZEI's Liam Rutherford says so have they. 

"We've never left the negotiating table - we had three afternoons last week, the primary teachers did, trying to get an offer out of the PSC and we've got dates to go back in the coming weeks as well."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon. So we've had the biggest strike in forty
six years, with an estimated one hundred thousand workers walking
off the job today. Unfortunately for the teachers and the
doctors and the nurses and the prison staff and all
the other healthcare personnel striking. The weather's disrupted the rallies
and parts of the country. Now the ends at eis
Liam rather fitters with us on this Hey Liam.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Talking again, It's.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Good to have you on the show mate has turned
into a bit of a fizzer.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Then, oh, definitely not. I mean, we had one hundred
thousand people delivering a pretty loud, clear message. Although granted
it would have been nice to be on the floor
Court of Parliament in Wellington, but health and safety took
precedent and it's been great following all of the rallies
that have happened around the country.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah, I wonder if it's a bit of a fizzer
because the weather has obviously stopped the most important rally,
which is in Wellington, but also because I don't know
if you did the right thing doing it on the
Thursday before a long weekend, because a bunch of parents
have just taken a really long weekend now and aren't
too fussed about it.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah. Actually, I think we've been really heartened by the
parent support that we've had. I was in Parmas the
North today that we didn't have any rain, but we
had a lot of wind and the number of parents
and kids that were out there supporting us. We actually
had a parent get up there and speak and talk
about the importance of having education and health funded to
a level that's actually meeting the needs of people. And

(01:16):
so we were quite heartened with how the days panned out.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Okay, so are you guys going to go back to
the negotiating table now that you've got this one out
of your system.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah. I think it's really clear that we get on
the record that we've never left the negotiating table. We
had three afternoons last week the primary teachers did trying
to get an offer out of the PSC, and we've
got dates to go back in the coming weeks as well,
and so we hope that the strike action is actually
going to put the pressure on the government because it's

(01:46):
the PSC that are in a bit of a in
a bit of a tight spot because they haven't been
given the tools and the resources to be able to
get the settled.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
How would do this put pressure on the government.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, what we're hearing out there is that the government
investing in education and health is something that's incredibly popular
in the eyes of voters, and so it was an
eye on the election.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
That's like asking, do you want to be a billionaire?
Of course we do. This is not possible. But because
what I'm saying to you is I don't think people
are angry enough to put pressure on the government.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, but what I'm saying is that the position that
we are in is because of the choices that the
government has made. Everybody does support more funding going into
education and health. But I think what people have picked
up on and where we do see the anger coming
from our communities is that they have prioritized giving money
to landlords and to tobacco tax cuts and the highest

(02:41):
income earners. People see that as an opportunity cost for
money that should be going into education and health.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Hey, so, how many more strikes are you prepared to do?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh? Look, that'll be in the eyes of the members.
At the stage, we're really focused to getting back around
the table. We're hoping that the government is going to
come to the party and give the res a listen
to the Public Service Commission to get an offer that's
going to land, and if we don't end up in
that space, it'll be up to members as to what
they want to do next.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Okay, Liam, thanks so much for your time. Liam Rutherford
endz Adi. That's the primary school teachers and Principles lead
negotiate out.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
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