New industrial laws allow for public service re-building– PSA

The PSA – New Zealand’s 45,000 strong public sector union – today said there was ‘much in the proposed industrial laws to give us confidence there can be a significant re-building of the capacity of the public service.’

‘This re-building is a well-detailed objective of the Government and we obviously support such an important goal,’ PSA national secretary Lynn Middleton said.

‘With these new laws there will be a much more progressive industrial environment for the PSA to organise collectively and to drive up a real partnership between workers and employers,’ she said.

‘Our Partnership for Quality approach is all about the improved delivery of public services and better quality jobs and working conditions for our members.’

‘The legitimisation of a central role for unions and the emphasis on collective bargaining, in combination with the good faith bargaining requirements, will be central to the PSA achieving its goals,’ Ms Middleton said.

In combination with changes to the State Sector Act – expected before the end of the year - there is good reason to believe there will be a return to the essential values and functions for the public service.

‘The end result will be a better quality jobs for our members and better quality services for all New Zealanders,’ she said.

‘Of course such improvements will require more than simple legislative change.

‘But it is the changing of the work environment and the way we go about things that is important and it is those changes the PSA welcomes,’ Ms Middleton said.

For more comment and information please call Lynn Middleton on 025 306016
or the PSA media officer Colin Williams on 04-9172039 or 025 575839

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