Media Release 9 November, 2006 1 page

Progress in mediation for Council staff

Christchurch City Council and the Southern Local Government Officers Union made good progress during four days of mediation.

In a joint statement the Council’s General Manager Human Resources Philippa Jones and Union Advocate Angela Watson said parties had adopted a constructive approach to mediation and had an understanding of each others issues and constraints.

Ms Jones says the Council has made several offers to the union, all of which ensure that every member of staff gets an increase in their base rate of pay over three years. The offers seek to address the imbalances in its current structure where staff on the lower grades are paid ahead of the market rate, while those on the higher grades whose skills are in demand are paid well below market rates. Ms Jones says the offers were within the council approved budget and would not impact on rates.

Ms Watson says that members want to be paid appropriately and need an increase because of inflation to ensure that they can continue to meet their commitments. Discussions are continuing.

The parties will return to mediation, in the week commencing 20 November 2006.

ENDS

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