If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page, after the Vocabulary. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- Who is going on strike on Thursday, 23 October?
- How many workers will go on strike?
- How many workers in different jobs are going on strike? Fill in the gaps with the correct number. About _______ primary school teachers, principals, and support staff; _______ nurses and _______ senior doctors and dentists who work for Health NZ;_______ other healthcare workers such as social workers and physiotherapists who work for Health NZ; _______ nurses and health care assistants who work for Corrections; around _______ secondary school teachers.
- What will take place around the country?
- What pay increase have most of these workers been offered?
- What is the current rate of inflation?
- What are the health workers concerned about?
- What are the teachers concerned about?
- What is the government’s view of the strike?
- What will be open at hospitals?
Text
This Thursday, 23 October, teachers and health workers are going on strike. It’s being called a mega strike because it’s so large. Approximately 100,000 workers will be involved.
Primary school teachers were the first group to make the decision to strike, and many others have followed. Thus, about 40,000 primary school teachers, principals, and support staff will walk off the job on Thursday. They will be joined by 36,000 nurses and 4000 senior doctors and dentists who work for Health NZ. 11,500 other healthcare workers such as social workers and physiotherapists who work for Health NZ will also strike. There will also be 400 nurses and health care assistants who work for Corrections. Around 21,000 secondary school teachers will also join the national strike on Thursday, after their partial strike last week, when they did not teach some year groups on some days. There will be marches and protests around the country.
These groups of workers are going on strike because they are not happy with the offers from the government for their collective agreements. Most of them have been offered pay increases of around 2 percent, which is below the current rate of inflation of 2.7 percent. Those who work in health are concerned about safe staffing levels as well as pay. There are staff shortages in hospitals in many areas, so workers are under constant pressure, and some patients have delays in their care because there are not enough doctors or nurses to look after them. In addition to pay, the primary and secondary school teachers are concerned about teacher shortages, learning support for students, and teacher workload with upcoming changes to the curriculum and assessments.
The government is not happy that these groups are going on strike. The Minister of Health said on Thursday that doctors are “putting politics before patients”, but the senior doctors disagreed and said that the Minister is not listening to their concerns. The Minister of Education said that “parents should be furious” that secondary school teachers are going on strike before senior students sit exams. However, the president of the secondary school teachers’ union said that they need pay and conditions that will attract and retain staff.
It is important to know that emergency departments at hospitals will be open on Thursday, but only for emergencies. You can still call 111 if there is an emergency, but if not, you should contact your own doctor or call Healthline, 0800 611 116. Most primary and secondary schools will be closed on Thursday. You should check this with your own school.
Vocabulary
mega (informal) – very large or impressive
go on strike – to stop work for a period of time, because of a disagreement over pay and conditions between a group of workers and their employer
principal – the head teacher, the person in charge of a school
walk off the job – to go on strike
physiotherapist – someone who treats problems with muscles by exercises, massage, and the use of heat
protests – when people come together in public to express disagreement or opposition to something
shortage – when there is not enough of something
patient (noun) – someone who is sick and sees a doctor or goes to hospital
curriculum – the subjects that are taught in schools
furious – very angry
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. Who is going on strike on Thursday, 23 October?
Teachers and health workers
b. How many workers will go on strike?
Approximately 100,000
c. How many workers in different jobs are going on strike? Fill in the gaps with the correct number. About 40,000 primary school teachers, principals, and support staff; 36,000 nurses and 4000 senior doctors and dentists who work for Health NZ; 11,500 other healthcare workers such as social workers and physiotherapists who work for Health NZ; 400 nurses and health care assistants who work for Corrections; around 21,000 secondary school teachers
d. What will take place around the country?
Marches and protests
e. What pay increase have most of these workers been offered?
2%
f. What is the current rate of inflation?
2.7%
g. What are the health workers concerned about?
Safe staffing levels as well as pay: workers are under constant pressure, and some patients have delays in their care
h. What are the teachers concerned about?
Pay, teacher shortages, learning support for students, and workload
i. What is the government’s view of the strike?
The government is not happy
j. What will be open at hospitals?
Emergency departments, but only for emergencies.