PSA members at social housing and service provider Visionwest will strike for fair pay from 10am to 11am today. Members are striking at Visionwest locations in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Christchurch, and rallying outside Auckland sites.
Union members are calling for a 5% increase for all members to keep up with the cost of living. This is their second strike in three weeks, after eight months of negotiations led to Visionwest offering meagre pay increases ranging from 0% to 2.6%.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA) covers 97 Visionwest workers across Aotearoa. These social workers, administrators, and home healthcare coordinators support whānau doing it tough into transitional and social housing or private rentals. They provide cultural support, counselling, food parcels, employment and education services, and home healthcare.
"The strain on all social services is getting greater, and the work is becoming more complex. Working to keep up is exhausting," said Melissa Woolley, PSA Assistant Secretary.
"How can our members support our communities as effectively as possible when their employer isn't supporting them?"
Woolley also emphasised the importance of a fair pay offer for across the different roles at Visionwest.
"All of Visionwest's workers play essential roles in supporting our communities," said Woolley. "Social workers work directly with whānau, and coordinators and administrators make sure support gets where it needs to go.
"Management needs to show that it values our members. A decent offer for all of them would help us keep up with the cost of living and reflect their dedication to their mahi."
