16 June 2005

National’s facts inaccurate again

PSA is not offering one-off payments to public servants to join the union as alleged by National MPs Tony Ryall and Wayne Mapp yesterday.

PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott said this is the second time this week that National MPs have issued incorrect and misleading statements about the union.

“Earlier this week, Gerry Brownlee accused us of paying for advertising in the Dominion Post which was untrue. Now we are accused of offering “bribes” to staff at the Department of Work and Income and the Ministry of Justice.”

Brenda Pilott said the MPs were referring to payments negotiated by the union for its members working in those organisations for two different reasons.

“In the case of the Ministry of Justice, one-off payments were negotiated for members to acknowledge an extension to the term of the collective agreements of two occupational groups within the Ministry.

“In the case of Work and Income, the payments were no different to many other partnership payments the union has negotiated for our members in recognition of the positive contribution they make in the workplace.”

Brenda Pilott also said the payments had nothing to do with the Labour Government.

“The terms and conditions of employment for our members are negotiated with individual government departments. PSA is not now, and never has been, part of the Labour Party.

“As a union, we have a responsibility to speak out on behalf of our members on issues affecting them, no matter who is in government. The outbursts this week by the National Party were the result of our opposition to their stated intention to cut public services to fund tax cuts. It would be negligent of us not to take a public stance on that.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media