First Ever Strike in New Zealand Army Today

Members of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) will commence strike action at Burnham Military Camp this morning in support of an 8% pay claim. NUPE represents civilian workers at Burnham who do a range of jobs from storekeeping, administration and payroll through to catering.

“The strike will commence at 10.00 a.m. and run through to 2.00 p.m. Burnham Camp will be picketed during the action,’ said NUPE Organiser John Kerr.

“Our members are frustrated at the failure of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to move on their current offer of 2.5%. They are fully supportive of their military colleagues, particularly the soldiers they work alongside at Burnham Camp, and are upset that the problem of low pay for civilian employees is not being addressed,” said John Kerr.

“The aim of the strike is not to unduly disrupt operations at Burnham. It is to send a signal to those who hold the purse strings that civilian staff that the army has become increasingly reliant on in recent years are suffering from low morale, largely as a result of being poorly paid.” said John Kerr.

“Our members are paid as little as $22500 per annum. In recent years soldiers have had pay rises of up to 23%. We’re not asking for anything like that. All we want is for NZDF to listen, acknowledge there is a problem, and go some way to fixing it,” said John Kerr.

“Civilians who work for NZDF make a huge contribution to the defence of our country. They are proud of what they do and they want to go on doing it. They also want to be adequately paid,” said John Kerr

NUPE represents nearly all civilian workers at Burnham Military Camp

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