Tens of thousands strike in New Zealand to demand better pay, conditions

More than 100,000 New Zealand teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters and support staff walked off the job on Thursday, demanding more money and resources for the public sector in a sign of growing discontent with the country's center-right government.

Public servants marched with placards and banners in towns across New Zealand, chanting and listening to speeches. Protests in Wellington and Christchurch had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather conditions.

The unions in a joint statement last week billed the strike as the largest in decades with more than 100,000 public servants taking part.

The government has dismissed the protests as a union-orchestrated political stunt, even as the demonstrations highlight growing public unease over the administration's direction. Recent opinion polls indicate support for the ruling coalition has slipped, though the opposition has yet to open a clear lead.

(Source: Reuters)

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