Thousands of university and polytechnic staff begin afternoon strike over pay

The Tertiary Education Union announced a coordinated strike involving about 8,000 university and polytechnic workers nationwide, scheduled from 1:15 pm to 5 pm. Union national secretary Amy Ross argued that current pay proposals fail to address the cost-of-living pressures and pointed out that 54.8 % of academic staff are employed on fixed-term or casual contracts, fostering significant job uncertainty. She added that talks with several polytechnics have stretched on for ten months.

A spokesperson for the University of Auckland acknowledged the right to strike but said most of its workforce is not unionised and will strive to maintain business-as-usual to limit disruption. Polytechnics such as the Universal College of Learning, represented by chief executive Jasmine Groves, and the Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec, led by Christina Hong, affirmed their commitment to constructive bargaining and assured that classes will continue during the action. The Ministry for Tertiary Education, headed by Penny Simmonds, has been approached for comment.