In a historic industrial action, about 100,000 essential workers including teachers, nurses and other medical staff are expected to walk away from classrooms and hospitals across New Zealand tomorrow.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said it was politically motivated and "absolutely tragic" for students preparing for exams.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins claimed the striking unions did not have the best interests of their members or the public in mind.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) president Anne Daniels, of Dunedin, is "angry" and "ashamed" the government was spreading so much "misinformation" regarding tomorrow’s strike.
"The divide and rule is not going to work.
"They need to understand that and stop hiding behind their political wall."
In Dunedin, NZNO will be joined by the Public Service Association, New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI), Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists in a march from First Church, up Lower Stuart St, and into the Octagon at 11.30am tomorrow.
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) will also stand in solidarity with those striking but will still be on call during the rally.
Ms Daniels said the fact that so many unions wanted to strike showed the government was "absolutely and totally out of touch with the workers in this country".
"Their job is to govern for the majority, not the few, and it is the majority that are not being heard."
The unions were standing up for everyone, not just themselves, because their work conditions, pay and safe staffing issues affected the whole nation.
In hospitals, there were not enough nurses and doctors being recruited.
"The people that we look after are not getting the care that they should because it’s not timely.
"They are getting sicker and sicker, which is putting huge pressures on our hospital."
The unions were in similar positions negotiating and getting nowhere individually with the government.
Their members called for solidarity because they were not being heard as individual unions.
"We’re standing up in solidarity to ensure that the government actually understands that they have to get around the table and release funding so that we can move forward."
PPTA Otago regional chairman Kussi Hurtado-Stuart said there was an element of excitement about the strike.
"We are currently in a state of emergency and it is only going to get worse."
Dunedin-based Ministry of Education speech language therapist Amberleigh Stenhouse said this was the NZEI’s third instance of industrial action this year, and the solidarity was really comforting.
"It’s great to see the public and the other unions are standing with us."
She said the strike did not cause as much disruption as those caused by a lack of funding in classrooms.
NZPFU Dunedin local branch secretary Mike Taylor said the government was using a "pretty underhand political tactic" to undermine a genuine position from the unions.
"Our organisation [Fire and Emergency New Zealand] spends $850 million a year and we don’t know where it’s going."
