Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Public Service Commission is defending its use of social media ads regarding public sector negotiations, saying the content complied with relevant government advertising and political neutrality guidelines.
It comes after the Labour Party expressed concern that the public service commissioner was acting in an "overly politicised way", as teachers and health workers prepare for a 'mega strike' later this week.
The Public Service Commission started running Facebook advertisements on Monday encouraging people to find out more about the strike action happening.
The ads contained information about previous offers that had been made to nurse practitioners, senior nurses and graduate nurses.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the Commission is overstepping, and Labour's public services spokesperson Camilla Belich says it was an "absolutely unbelievable decision to weaponise the Public Service Commission against striking workers".
Tens of thousands of teachers, doctors and nurses will walk off the job on Thursday, demanding better pay and working conditions.
Ads run by the Public Service Commission on Facebook about October's 'mega strike'. Photo: Public Service Commission
Public Services Minister Judith Collins issued an 'open letter' to the public on Sunday, claiming the industrial action was "politically motivated" and the prime minister said on Tuesday the unions just "don't like our government."
Christopher Luxon said there have been new offers presented by the government to the unions and they'd failed to take them out to their members: "They want to go on strike."
Luxon maintained there was "good faith on our side", but the unions were politically motivated.
"We get it. They don't like our government, very close with Labour - understand all of that - but actually it's a massive disservice to their members, massive disservice to the kids, parents and patients."
But Labour is concerned about the Public Service Commission's role, with Belich saying no amount of "public funds" should be spent in a "political attack" on those undertaking "good faith bargaining."
"I'm absolutely shocked that that decision was taken," she said.
While the ads may have been withdrawn, there were still questions about why they were put up in the first place, she said.
"Absolutely unbelievable decision by the government to weaponise the Public Service Commission against striking workers."
Camilla Belich. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
She said posting ads on Facebook was a "different way of attacking workers", as opposed to press releases on the Beehive website.
Belich said she was considering a complaint around the utilisation of the funds for the ad.
"Any amount of public money that is misspent needs to be investigated, and decisions around that need to be held to account."
Asked about reports Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche was on holiday, Belich said she would expect the lead negotiator to be available during what could potentially be "one of the biggest strikes we've seen".
She acknowledged strikes were political, but also said they were lawful and a "well-understood" way of ensuring industrial action and bargaining was "meaningful".
Hipkins was also concerned about the "politicisation" of the Public Service Commission and the way it was fronting industrial action on behalf of the government.
"Ministers should be out there fronting this, not the public service commissioner. It does, in my view, overstep the bounds of what a politically neutral public service should be involved in," said Hipkins.
Ads run by the Public Service Commission on Facebook about October's 'mega strike'. Photo: Public Service Commission
He said the Commission was responsible for bargaining but when it came to presenting to the public, "that is the job of ministers, and it's not always fun".
"Ultimately, the government ministers need to accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions at the end of the day.
"Yes, bargaining is done by officials on behalf of government ministers, but it is government ministers who set the parameters for that."
Hipkins said he met with teachers who were striking while he was minister of education: "I fronted up to them."
He said the present education minister was "currently invisible" in this process.
The strikes were consequences of political decisions made by government ministers he said: "We should not be putting public servants in that position. The Public Service Commission does need to take care to protect the political neutrality of the public service."
The Public Service Commission told RNZ in a statement the purpose of the ads was to provide public information about disruption to services and what was being done to prevent further disruption.
It explained the Commissioner was leading collective bargaining with education sector unions, which affects thousands of public servants, and said it was appropriate for the Commissioner to share factual information about that work with the public.
It said social media was one of the channels commonly used to do that and to date, the cost of those ads was $248.43, and more ads may run if necessary.
The Commission also confirmed Sir Brian Roche was on leave, saying it was planned well in advance and involved long-standing family commitments.
"Unfortunately, the unions never consulted him on which day they would strike.
The Commission said it was irrelevant where the commissioner was physically, "he's still working and leading the bargaining work, including responding to media queries."
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