Ministry still committed to resolving industrial action

The Ministry of Justice remains committed to resolving industrial action, and is managing impacts on services while industrial action continues, General Manager District Courts Tony Fisher said today.

“Our staff do a great job delivering services that support the work of the Ministry and the courts system, and we value them. The Ministry has already tabled what we consider to be a realistic offer, which the PSA has declined to take to its members for ratification. We’re keen to get back into discussions with the union,” Mr Fisher said.

“The union also wants the Ministry to commit to a pay structure which would mean the Ministry would have no direct control over future wage costs. The Ministry has offered performance-based pay increases for staff effective from 1 July 2010.Our preference is to reward performance, not time in the job.

The Ministry’s costing of the union claim indicates it would cost in excess of $100 million over three years – $25m annually from the first year increasing to $51m annually by the third year. The Ministry simply can’t afford that,” Mr Fisher said.

“The Ministry’s calculation is based on our understanding of the union claim. We reiterate that we want to resolve this. The best way to progress is to get back around the table.

“As we’ve said before, the Ministry is a lean organisation. It continuously looks for ways to improve service delivery and achieve productivity gains through greater efficiency and effectiveness. We’ve recently implemented changes to our organisational structure with that in mind.

“The Ministry has plans in place to manage through industrial action, and managers and staff are working hard to ensure that services are maintained.”

ENDS

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