David Seymour: Deputy Prime Minister says health and education unions need to be realistic about pay

The Deputy Prime Minister says health and education unions need to be realistic about their pay demands.

Tens of thousands of workers across health and education are walking off the job today today in their fight for better pay and conditions.

It could be the largest strike action in the country in a generation, but a number of events are expected to be affected by the weather.

David Seymour told Mike Hosking that there isn't a single member of the Cabinet who wouldn't like to pay nurses, doctors and teachers more, if they could.

He says there seems to be a disconnect between what some of these unions are demanding, and the reality most New Zealanders are actually facing.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So almost like a telethon, today's strike action has been
built up to a massh stereotype christiendo. They claim the
biggest industri real action of forty years, an estimated one
hundred thousand nurses, teachers, medical staff, as well as the
aggrieved places like ACC. David Seymore, Deputy Prime Minister, of course,
but also Associate Health and Education is with us, good.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Morning, good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
How much of this is genuine grievance versus how much
of this is making a political statement against the government
they don't like.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
We'll put it this way. I don't think that there
would be a member of our cabinet who doesn't want
to pay nurses, teachers, doctors as much as possible. On
the other hand, there seems to be a disconnect between
what some of these unions and their union leadership are
demanding versus the reality that most New Zealanders, including those
who have to pay the taxes to fund these services,

(00:49):
are actually facing. They seem to be demanding things that
aren't a reality for most of those people who pay
the taxes and actually need the education and health services.
I mean, you take a look at nurses start on
seventy five thousand under one offer they've received. By next year,

(01:10):
a starting nurse would be on eighty six after going
up a step end getting an increase that's been offered.
On the other hand, you look at teachers, you know,
fourteen and a half percent in the last three years.
These are not the kind of conditions that most New
Zealanders have faced. And so I think there needs to
be a question of are these guys facing up to

(01:30):
the reality that all New Zealanders face right now trying
to solve problems, which is what the government is trying
to do, fixing one thing after another or making a
political point, and that I think is where a lot
of the frustration for people in the government but also
New Zealander is up and down the country are facing.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Well is it? Because if you believe that poll yesterday,
which I actually don't because I think it was opten
in at only four hundred, But I mean the majority
of people actually back the strike. They think they've got
a case. Your argument that you just outlaid as landed flat.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
I think if you were to ask people should doctors
and teachers be paid more or nurses, of course they
would say yes. On the other hand, if you put
it to them, should we be demanded to give payoffers
that are completely out of proportion with what most people
in the New Zealand economy have faced in the last
three years, then they would say, well, actually, I'm not

(02:19):
sure that's fair.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
No, you have spent the government have spent the best
part of the last week saying come back to the table,
come back to the table, come back to the table.
Have they responded? The unions responded to that in any way,
shape or form.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, it's been mixed, but you can see from the
fact that strikes going ahead even after. For example, this
morning the Public Services Commissioner said, look, we're prepared to
work through the weekend. We think we're there with the teachers,
but they're not at the table. They're striking. So I
think that tells you everything you need to know.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Roche's on holiday. Is that a thing in your mind
or not?

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Well, I don't know his full personal circumstances or what's
led to that, so I shouldn't comment on it. But
he's made it clear that he's available. I see he
was available being interviewed this morning, so he may be
across the ditch, but he's still very much on the job.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Where does this go post today? We will go back
to work, probably not tomorrow for the teachers, but by
Tuesday we'll get back then what we just do? What
carry on?

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well, at some point these union organizers are going to
have to face the reality we'd like to pay as
much as we can, we also have to balance the
needs of all those other New Zealanders who actually pay
the taxes, who almost universally haven't had increases in anything
like what they're asking for. And at some point, when
that reality sinks in, we can get back to fixing

(03:38):
what matters and living our lives in New Zealand. But
the idea that's because you like something you can make
a political pantomime like they appear to be attempting. I
just don't think that will wash right.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Appreciate time. David Seymour, who's the Associate Health and Education
Minister today. Do you believe the poll yesterday the Torbert
Mills Pole four hundred people I think was often but
but on it. I can't even remember them because it
wasn't that interested. It was about sixty sixty five percent
allegedly supported the strike. When you broke it down for
people who support the coalition versus people who don't support
the coalition people who support the coalition. It was even Stevens,

(04:11):
and of course most of the support came from the
other side of the camp. Eleven past seven, Mike, I'm
sick of these strikes. Call their bluff. Next off, it
should be a pay cut. The country can't afford it
anyway they earn as much like teachers are pushing their luck.
It has got to a fascinating thing, or a fascinating stage,
or a fascinating time. As far as I can work
out that those numbers that David gave, the early day

(04:31):
numbers were interesting, but when sixty six percent of teachers
are on a six figure salary in a country where
the average salary seventy two seventy three thousand dollars, at
some point someone's got to go, wait a minute, is
this reasonable?

Speaker 2 (04:46):
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