Around 2,800 PSA members at Oranga Tamariki will strike from 3pm to 5pm tomorrow (Friday 7 March), as part of ongoing action against an insulting pay offer and unsafe and unmanageable workloads.

Members across the country will take part in the total withdrawal of labour, including social workers and members working in care and protection residences, youth justice residences, residential homes, and the national contact centre.

"The Government is leaving workers no choice but to strike," said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

"The offer on the table is effectively a pay cut, and Oranga Tamariki is failing to ensure workloads are reasonably sized and well managed."

A care and protection social worker described the stress they’re under: "The worst part is waking at 4am every morning so that your caseload can run laps around your head and the thought that something really bad could happen to a child because you didn’t have the capacity to get to them."

[ Read more stories from workers about the stress they are enduring]

"This strike is telling Oranga Tamariki, and the Government, that their failure to act is unacceptable," said Fitzsimons. "The workers want the resources and capacity to do their best work. Oranga Tamariki must come to the table to make that happen."

Notes:

This withdrawal of labour is part of ongoing actions that began on Friday 28 February and will end on Friday 18 April. They include:

- A ban on all work that is not paid work, including only working standard hours of work and taking all rest and meal breaks.

- A ban on using all work-related systems and software outside of paid work, including online case recording systems.

- A ban on working paid overtime; and a ban on working overtime for TOIL.

- A ban on working double shifts.

- A ban on being on-call and working call-back (after-hours duties).

Previous statements

24 February 2025 Oranga Tamariki workers strike over insulting pay offer, unmanageable workloads

30 January 2025 Minister must reverse all Oranga Tamariki cuts after Barnardos u-turn

15 October 2024 Auditor General inquiry into Oranga Tamariki welcomed, but must go wider

26 June 2024 Children and young people will suffer from Govt’s sharp cuts at Oranga Tamariki

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