New deal ratified by PSA members at Ministry of Justice

It was confirmed today that after one of the most drawn-out industrial disputes of 2018 a new collective agreement will be signed between the PSA and Ministry of Justice.

"Reaching this hard-won result was a testament to the principled and persistent action that PSA delegates and members took in seeking and securing a settlement they deserved from their employer," said Glenn Barclay, PSA national secretary.

"For the current financial year most members will receive a 4% increase, increasing to 6% from July 2019. Just as importantly the Ministry will now be moving to a step-based pay system and automatic progressions which it had consistently resisted".

"The range of targeted industrial pressure taken between 19 September and 30 November to achieve a significant movement for better pay and better pay systems included more than 30 strikes and work-to-rule stoppages," said Glenn Barclay.

"Our members only took actions that disrupted the Courts as a last resort, and it is both notable and significant that during this time their right to take those actions was supported by the Employment Court.

"A further sign of the strength of this result is that PSA membership at the Ministry - which was confirmed just last week as the lowest payer in the public service in 2017-2018 - has increased by more than 40% in a year where our overall membership has also grown past 70,000 members".

Mr Barclay added that 2018 has been a year of steady progress in achieving improved settlements at many other core public service departments as well, including new collective agreements at Inland Revenue, MBIE, Corrections, Department of Internal Affairs, Statistics New Zealand, Parliamentary Service, Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Land Information New Zealand, Te Puni Kokiri, and, earlier this week, the Ministry of Social Development.

"In 2019 the PSA is committed to pushing on with developing common standards for terms and conditions across the public service, and with specific reference to provisions that support the Gender Pay Principles".

ENDS

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