The Taxpayers’ Union says next week’s planned strike by nearly 10,000 public servants will be the real test of whether Fleur Fitzsimons can actually put bums on seats.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:

“Last time MBIE had a strike — dubbed as as ‘huge’ by the Public Service Association, we turned up to it. The office, and the picket line, was empty —  apparently the revolution was being run from home."

"So this time, with Ms Fitzsimons saying 10,000 people will supposedly go on strike, the question is: will anyone actually show up? Logging off to make a cuppa isn’t exactly a revolution.”

“As New Zealand's largest union, the Taxpayers' Union can bring a crowd. But Fleur might not love what they have to say.”

"According to Public Service Commssion data, Public servants are now paid $17,600 more a year than people in the private sector, and every single government department has a higher average salary than private-sector New Zealanders."

"It's not the PSA that needs to go on strike, it's taxpayers — for the Government's failure to get the costs under control."

The Taxpayers’ Union is demanding the Public Service Association immediately publish the legal advice it claims gave the green light for its “Change the Government” campaignto be distributed through ministry offices and public service workplaces.

Taxpayers' Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:

“The PSA told public servants to ‘change the government’ and now expects New Zealanders to believe that was somehow not political. That claim is laughable."

“The Electoral Commission says the material was likely election advertising and the Public Service Commissioner ordered it out of government workplaces. If the PSA has legal advice contradicting both, it must publish every word of it and name the lawyer who provided it."

“Until then, the supposed legal advice simply looks like a convenient shield for a partisan campaign that should have never been allowed inside the public service."

“It's time now for Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith to act. He must make clear that taxpayer-funded workplaces, resources and time will not be used to campaign against the elected Government.”

Responding to Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche directing the Public Service Association to remove its “Change the Government” campaign material from public service workplaces, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“The PSA’s politics are no secret, but using supposedly neutral public service workplaces to campaign for the Government’s defeat crosses a line and abandons any pretence of impartiality."

“Taxpayers already fund paid time for union activity, and some departments go even further by employing staff to undertake union work. They also fund union-only bonuses, with MSD alone recently paying PSA members more than $1.6 million."

“Sir Brian Roche is right to intervene, but the Government must go further. Taxpayers should not be subsidising membership of an organisation that treats the public service as its own political campaign network.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that the Ministry of Social Development paid taxpayer-funded bonuses exclusively to Public Service Association members before their collective agreement had even been signed by the union. An Official Information Act request revealed 5,459 FTE received the $300 member-only benefit, costing taxpayers $1,637,700.

Taxpayers’ Union Lead Investigator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Among other bonuses for Te Reo capability and overtime allowances sits Clause 2.8.1, the ‘Lump Sum Payment': a union-favouritism clause dressed up as a good-faith benefit for union members but funded by taxpayers.”

“MSD paid out the more than $1.6 million to PSA members before the union had even signed the agreement, following a similar Health NZ deal earlier this year.”

“Only in the public service would a payout that effectively leaves taxpayers funding union membership fees even make it out of bargaining, let alone be paid out before any agreement had even been signed.”

“If the Ministry wants to hand out special payments to union members, then the responsible Minister should be signing off these agreements and justifying them personally.”