New Pay Offer For MAF Vets

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has released the details of its latest offer to its striking vets.

The offer was put to the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) at a mediation meeting in Christchurch last night. (Thursday) And the vets are voting on the offer today.

The main elements of the MAF offer for the vets, who currently earn an average total take home pay of more than $84,000 a year, are as follows: . A one-off payment of $10,000 for each vet; . An eight per cent increase in base salary for the top two thirds of vets; . A four per cent increase for the rest; . The payment of vet association memberships, education costs, medical insurance and medical check-up costs; . The retaining of penal payments for weekend and shift work; . An immediate promotion for about 40 relievers and circuit vets which would see them receive an extra amount on base salary of between $2000 and $5000 prior to calculation of the eight per cent increase.

Because some vets are concerned that movement from overtime calculated after eight hours a day to overtime calculated after 40 hours a week would cause loss of income, MAF is offering a ‘safety clause’ which guarantees that no one doing the same work pattern will earn less as a result of accepting the agreement.

For more information contact Anthony Keesing on 04 498 9882.

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