nathaniel@livingwage.org.nz

Way back in 2017, we won a huge commitment from the Labour/Greens/NZ First coalition government: the payment of a Living Wage to all directly employed workers in the core public service. In 2020, we pushed further and won a Living Wage for contracted workers as well. As contracts roll over, thousands of cleaners and security guards are now receiving pay rises that keep up with the cost of living. For the 2023 election, with a change of Government on the cards, our goal was less ambitious: to retain the gains we had already made, and to build a relationship with the incoming Government.

To achieve this, we gathered our movement in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch for a video-linked mega-forum that would show party leaders the breadth of support for the Living Wage nationwide. Every political party on track to win Parliamentary seats was invited. 600 supporters gathered across the country. Here in Christchurch, our speakers represented the Rail & Maritime Transport Union, the Multicultural Council, the Anglican Inner-City Chaplaincy, and the Workers’ Education Association. We packed into the Aldersgate Centre ready to make our case for the Living Wage. The problem: both National and ACT refused to attend.

New Zealand First Crucial

As expected, we won commitments from parties in the Leftwing bloc to retain and expand Living Wage protections. And then there was NZ First. Andy Foster, ex-Mayor of Wellington and number eight on their list, was the sole representative of the Rightwing bloc of parties which forms the new Government. Luckily, our leaders already had a strong relationship with Andy from his time as Mayor of the first Living Wage-accredited city in New Zealand.

As a City Councillor Andy had initially opposed the Living Wage, but through persistent engagement we won him over and he grew to be a staunch advocate. On the night, we got three firm yesses from Andy: yes, to retaining Living Wage protections in Government, yes to working with us to monitor progress, and, crucially, yes to making these commitments a priority element of coalition negotiations.

NZ First now holds the balance of power in a National-led government. The challenge is clear: how can we ensure that NZ First keeps its word? This work is ongoing behind the scenes. For now, I can say we are seeking to leverage the prestige of our union, faith and community members to strengthen our relationship with NZ First's Leader, Winston Peters.

Will the campaign of the last few months lead to concrete results for Government workers? We will have to wait until the next issue of Watchdog to find out. In the meantime, and with the election over, we are returning our focus in Christchurch to the looming issue of asset sales and Living Wage for Council-controlled companies.

At a recent meeting with affected unions and community groups, we recognised the need to broaden the campaign to include those concerned about cuts to services following Mayor Phil Mauger's ominous comments on libraries ("just buildings with books in them"). We cannot allow the Mayor's austerity rhetoric to divide us into two competing camps of "keep our assets" and "keep our services". Instead, we must unite around a holistic vision for our city where well-managed public infrastructure supports public services. More to come.