The staff include behaviour and communication support workers, psychologists and special education advisers. Photo: Unsplash
About 1300 Education Ministry specialist staff are due to strike on Tuesday.
The Educational Institute and the Public Service Association said their members would walk off the job for two hours from 10am.
They said their members were unhappy with the ministry's pay offers and with proposed changes to their working conditions.
The unions said the strikes would include pickets in locations from Whangārei to Dunedin.
They said the affected staff included behaviour and communication support workers, psychologists and special education advisers.
The unions said they were negotiating separately.
"The Ministry is threatening flexible working arrangements by removing explicit commitments in the collective to allow members to work in a way which suits their family circumstances, said PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.
"PSA members are also upset by the Ministry's miserly pay offer at a time when the cost of living is still putting pressure on household budgets."
The Educational Institute said its members would work-to-rule for one month, meaning they would only work their contracted hours and would not work on new cases.
The Education Ministry's hautū (leader) corporate Rob Campbell said the ministry was focused on maintaining day-to-day operations and minimising disruption to children, young people, and their families.
The ministry remained committed to progressing collective agreements in good faith with the unions, he said.
NZEI had agreed to attend urgent mediation at the ministry's request, while discussions with the PSA were ongoing, he said.
