10 May 2021

Union to meet with Ardern after public sector pay freeze news

From Checkpoint, 5:22 pm on 10 May 2021

It could be chilly when the Prime Minister meets with the union on Tuesday, in their first face-to-face since the government announced a three-year pay freeze for public servants.

Some workers are furious about the directive that means those in the public sector earning more than $60,000 will only get a pay rise in exceptional circumstances.

That includes police, teachers, nurses and others.

Both Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson have been defending the move by insisting its not a freeze and it's still possible for workers to get bump in pay by moving up salary bands.

President of the PSA Benedict Furguson talks to Lisa Owen.