Sunday 7 December 2003
MEDIA RELEASE
ATTENTION:
INDUSTRIAL/POLITICAL REPORTERS
Fishery Officers’ Pay Rise Needed Post Scampi
''NUPE wants the Government to pay urgent attention to the pay and conditions of Fishery Officers when it deals with the
outcome of the Scampi Inquiry,'' said Nadine Marshall, Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) who
represent Fishery Officers. She was commenting on the Primary Production Select Committee Inquiry into the management of
the scampi fishery which recommended significant payouts to some firms earlier this week.
“Issues about Fishery Officers’ pay and conditions have been on hold since the Inquiry began due to resources being
prioritised for the Inquiry. The Ministry says the Scampi allegations has cost it around $4.3m. Fishery Officers have
also had to deal with public allegations of corruption,” said Nadine Marshall.
“The compliance activities of Fishery Officers is the main reason there are valuable fish stocks available in the quotas
being distributed to the fishing industry and to Maori,” said Nadine Marshall. “Similarly the records they monitor
provide the basis for the allocation of quota (as disputed in the Scampi Inquiry.)”
“Placing a quota on a fish stock immediately creates a contested property right and possible scampi type charges, but it
also creates a price rise and a lucrative black market which Fishery Officers have to stop”, said Nadine Marshall. “Our
Union wants to see an increase in pay for Fishery Officers of the order of what the MPs recently received – around 20%.”
Nadine Marshall said that the Inquiry showed how important and accountable the standard of compliance by Fishery
Officers was to New Zealand’s future.
ENDS