PSA celebrates a major membership milestone: 70,000 and growing

This week the Public Service Association (PSA) is celebrating the total number of union members reaching the 70,000 mark - just three years on from hitting 60,000 in 2015.

"The PSA is proud to be celebrating this major membership milestone and the strength of union solidarity that it demonstrates," said PSA president Janet Quigley.

"The member who helped us across the line to 70,000 members is Eli Smith, a Community Engagement Adviser who works for the Northland District Health Board in Kaikohe, and I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Eli to the PSA.

"The PSA is now into its 106th year of contributing to New Zealand society. This latest milestone is a tangible tribute to just how many tens of thousands of working lives we have strived to change for the better in that time - through solidarity of purpose, solidarity of values and solidarity in numbers.

"This has been a big year for all of the sectors we cover - being the core public sector, state sector, District Health Boards, local government and community public services.

"It has been a year of hard-won victories on issues that the PSA has been advocating for across many years - like pay equity and the settlements reached this year for DHB mental health and addiction support workers and for statutory social workers at Oranga Tamariki, and more.

"Looking ahead to 2019 the PSA is determined to keep building on the growth we have been achieving and the momentum towards achieving further life-changing gains with and for our members.

"While building a strong, modern and influential union, under often challenging circumstances, has not been easy, we take heart from a growing realisation that the future of work is going to rely more and more upon respect for workers’ voices and maximising workers’ rights".

ENDS

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