New
Zealand’s Labour-led government, which includes the
Greens, recently declared a pay freeze across the public
service for the next three years. The move, which extends a
measure introduced last year during the COVID-19 pandemic,
will inevitably be used to suppress wages in the private
sector as well.
Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins
announced that workers earning more than $NZ60,000 will only
be offered pay increases under “exceptional”
circumstances, while increases for those on salaries over
$100,000 are ruled out. Only about a quarter of public
servants earns less than $60,000 and will theoretically
qualify for pay increases, which still have to be