Strike by 3,300 junior doctors cripples hospitals in New Zealand after union talks break down

Nearly 80 per cent of junior doctors across New Zealand walked off the job at public hospitals on Tuesday after a breakdown in union talks with the government over working conditions and wages.

The strike spotlights the difficulties Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government faces in delivering on its promise to pour money into social services and rein in economic inequality when it took office in 2017.

The centre-left government’s traditional union support base says sluggish wage growth and soaring living costs have left workers struggling, with teachers, nurses and court officials taking action last year to demand pay hikes.

“They want to have control over when we work, how we work and where we work,” said Dr Deborah Powell, national secretary of the junior doctors’ union. “We tried to resolve this without a strike but we were left with no choice.”

More than 3,300 government-employed junior doctors, of a national tally of 3,700, are staying away from hospitals and clinics after the talks broke down last week.

Some gathered at street corners holding placards calling for better working hours but there were no major demonstrations.

Thousands of surgeries, non-essential appointments, and other services have been cancelled, although emergency and life-saving services will continue as senior doctors are asked to step in.