Oranga Tamariki workers strike over insulting pay offer, unmanageable workloads

Strike to begin 28 February with two hour full labour withdrawal 7 March.

PSA members at Oranga Tamariki are taking strike action over an insulting pay offer and a refusal to address the concerns of workers over unsafe and unmanageable workloads.

"Enough is enough - Oranga Tamariki is effectively offering a real pay cut and failing to ensure workloads are reasonably sized and well managed," said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

The strike covers around 2,800 workers including social workers, supervisors, staff in care and protection and youth justice residences, family group conference workers and admin support staff.

"It’s insulting to workers who are doing vital work for the agency supporting at risk tamariki and rangatahi at a time of rising stress for many families."

In bargaining for a new collective agreement Oranga Tamariki has offered small lump sum payments and no salary increases and provided no solutions to the long standing and growing workload management issues which have only been aggravated by last year’s big job cuts.

"The workers care deeply about the children they support, but they are left with no choice. The pressure on staff to keep working after hours, such as with emergency care placements for children overnight in motels or offices, is unacceptable.

"Workers are sending a strong message to the Government that it must make a fair offer, and develop a fair workload management system or more staff will face burn out.

"Decades of reviews and inquiries at Oranga Tamariki have consistently identified high staff workloads as a barrier to good outcomes for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau. Without progress, we will see more skilled people leave Oranga Tamariki - how can that be good for the children in the agency’s care?

"The latest child poverty statistics this week show no change in the number of children living in material hardship. We know poverty creates stress for families. This is the time when the Government should be investing in the services Oranga Tamariki provides, and doing all it can to support and retain workers.

"Instead it has gutted Oranga Tamariki, forced it to shed over 400 workers, increased workloads, cut contracts for many community service providers and now is turning a blind eye to the pay and conditions of so many of its own workers.

"This risks creating lasting damage to the tamariki, rangatahi and whānau of New Zealand who need Oranga Tamariki’s support."