Picketing in February. Photo: RNZ/ Libby Kirkby-McLeod
More than 850 laboratory scientists and technicians across the country have begun seven days of rolling strike action which are causing delays to about 125,000 patient tests.
The demonstrations are in response to a 30 percent pay gap between private and public services.
The strikes officially began on Saturday with notices issued to three corporate laboratory companies Awanui, Pathlab and Medlab earlier this month.
More than 70 percent of New Zealand town and cities would lose access to medical laboratory testing for their public hospital, or primary care system, or both for at least 72 hours.
The union for New Zealand's medical laboratory workers says private employers need to "dig deeper" to reach comparable wages with the public sector.
APEX national secretary Dr Deborah Powell told Morning Report despite sizable profits, the private sector has not kept pace with the public system,
"Pay equity has been rolled out across Te Whatu Ora, but also Te Whatu Ora has kept up with cost of living increases better than the private labs," she said
"Unfortunately the private labs over the years have taken millions of dollars out of these labs in profit.
"But they haven't made any sort of availability for increasing workers wages to keep up with these sorts of changing dynamics in the labour market.
"We're way behind for doing exactly the same job and now our private labs are claiming poverty and looking to Te Whatu Ora to top up their budgets."
Powell said the strikes would not put patients health at risk.
"There's a large number of community laboratory testing which is done, but there's also hospital laboratory testing.
"These corporate-owned labs run a significant number of these hospital laboratories as well.
"There will be delays in tests and some tests will have to be put off til next week."
She said the situation was having a knock-on effect.
"If you can get a job in Te Whatu Ora, a scientist or technician will take it.
"Why wouldn't you for a 30 percent pay rise."
Workers unable to secure work in the public system were either moving to Australia or leaving the industry altogether, Powell said.
"We've got a massive shortage of scientists and technicians working in these labs.
"The remaining guys are picking up the slack.
"That is seeing them work outrageous hours, double-shifting 19 days in a row and their workload is also going up.
"It gets to a point where they're going to make a mistake and that makes job satisfaction pretty low."
In a statement New Zealand Pathology chief executive Dr Peter Gootjes said providers were negotiating with APEX in good faith and would continue to work with the government on resolving the dispute.
He said closing the 30 percent gap between public sector and private sector lab workers is uneconomic for private providers.
Gootjes said he has sought a meeting with Health Minister Simeon Brown to brief him on the short and long-term implications of the strike.
Cancer reporting was expected to be delayed in 14 towns or regions due to the strikes from medical laboratory workers.
Gootjes said elective surgeries could be impacted in nine areas, and general community testing significantly reduced in seven.
In a statement, Health New Zealand said it was not the employer of the private sector workforce and have not been involved in bargaining.
"While the strikes will have varying impacts on health services in hospitals and communities depending on the region, we want to reassure New Zealanders that extensive contingency planning is underway to manage and minimise any impacts on hospitals and community-based health services from these private laboratory strikes."
Expected strike effects by region (Source, NZ Pathology):
Table supplied by NZ Pathology showing impacts by region of strike action starting on Monday 24 March 2025. Photo: Supplied / NZ Pathology
