IAG workers to strike in New Zealand over contract dispute

Workers at IAG, the parent company of insurance providers including AMI, State, NZI, Lumley, and Lantern, will conduct a full-day strike on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The industrial action follows more than 18 months of failed negotiations regarding a new collective agreement, which expired on 31 March 2025.

The dispute centers on IAG’s proposal to introduce a 90-day trial period for new staff. The Workers First union argues this would allow the company to dismiss employees without the right to raise a personal grievance, characterizing the move as an attempt to “fire at will.”

While the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) previously issued a recommendation that the union accepted, IAG rejected the proposal four weeks later. The union has offered to drop all other outstanding claims if IAG withdraws the proposed changes to trial periods and other reductions to existing working conditions.