Sunday 5 July 2009
MEDIA RELEASE

Priority For MSD Should Be Jobs, Not Junkets

“Some of the 200 jobs being axed in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) could have been saved if the employer had instead cut a budgeted $600,000 from Partnership arrangements with the Public Service Association (PSA),” Paul Shennan, Convenor of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) said today.

He was commenting on job losses from twelve reviews held across MSD. In two reviews in Child Youth and Family, over thirty NUPE members were affected with twelve service centres closed and significant changes being made to staffing in residences. MSD’s baseline funding was cut by $3 million in the 28 May budget.

“NUPE accepts that some union management meetings are needed to meet legal requirements under the Employment Relations and other Acts,” said Paul Shennan. “NUPE does have an understanding with MSD which involves delegates being paid to attend negotiations and so on. We have told MSD that no extra resources are to be applied to our union when jobs are being cut.”

“The $600,000 plus applied by MSD to the PSA’s partnership agreement could be cut by 80% and still meet those requirements,” said Paul Shennan. “Our union opposes significant resources being applied to what are effectively junkets to Wellington when members’ jobs are being cut.”

“As an example, the budget includes two annual conferences of MSD’s 44 national PSA delegates budgeted and paid for by the taxpayer,” said Paul Shennan. “The same criticism applies to the allocation of $330,000 effectively for PSA delegates’ salaries.”

“Despite requests to PSA and MSD to do so, the $600,000 plus of resources have not been transferred to saving jobs,” said Paul Shennan.

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