Workers demand end to wage freeze


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Workers rally outside Parliament. Green MP Sue Kedgley spoke in support of their calls to lift the wage freeze.

The sun shone on

rallies for low paid workers

held in cities and town across New Zealand.

In Auckland they were led by

Service Workers Union

members in their bright red T-shirts – coming from hospitals and rest homes across the region. Other unions like the Public Service Association and NZ Educational Institute also brought their low paid members along.

Chants slammed the National government’s wage freeze in the public sector as the march wound its way Queen Street to a rally in the Methodist Mission.

The fighting spirit of the workers was infectious, both on the march and at the rally that followed, where

I represented the Green Party

, and Phil Goff the Labour Party.

Rallies that Green MPs addressed in other centres were similarly spirited.


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Minister in charge of Climate change negotiations Nick Smith didn’t seem too interested in the demands of the low paid workers…