97 social workers, administrators, and home healthcare coordinators at social housing and service provider Visionwest will take strike action on Wednesday 21 August from 11am to 12pm.

People working at Visionwest support whānau doing it tough into transitional and social housing or private rentals and provide wraparound support. They offer cultural support, counselling, food parcels, employment and education services, and home healthcare.

Strike action comes after eight months of negotiations leading to Visionwest offering a meagre pay increases ranging from 0% for some to 2.6% for others.

Members of the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi say their pay is putting them under pressure.

"The cost of living is going up for everyone. Visionwest sees the stress and strain from that on the whānau we support, but we’re experiencing it too as their staff," says PSA Delegate and Social Worker Liz Dick.

"Some people have had to access food assistance which Visionwest helped with. It’s ironic the organisation is addressing economic hardship for people but failing to pay wages that don’t eliminate food insecurity for their employees."

Union members are calling on their employer to deliver a 5% increase for everyone.

"We’re asking for a fair and equitable approach that would help us keep up with the cost of living and reflect the commitment and quality we bring to work," says Dick.

People working in the social, health, and housing services report greater complexity of work conditions as services come under strain.

"Social workers want to go above and beyond constantly. But people are saying they are permanently exhausted and it’s leeching into their personal lives. There’s no off-switch," says PSA Delegate and Social Worker Jameela Diallo.

"We need to be able to look after ourselves to do our work. A decent wage offer would mean one less thing to worry about and make life just a little bit more manageable," says Diallo.

Strikes will take place at Visionwest locations in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Christchurch on Wednesday.

A second strike is scheduled for Monday 2 September from 10am to 11am.

© Scoop Media