MPI provoking industrial dispute by walking out of pay talks
The Public Service Association is accusing the Ministry for Primary Industries of deliberately provoking a dispute and
risking industrial action by seeking to reduce the conditions of employment for staff.
The PSA met with the Ministry earlier this week as part of collective agreement negotiations and to respond to the
Ministry’s claims and claw backs, but after refusing to shift its position, the Ministry chose to walk away from the
negotiating table.
PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff says “there are some serious issues around the Ministry’s provocative
negotiating position. It’s not acceptable for MPI to come to the table with a take-it or leave-it approach and refuse to
address what are valid proposals put forward by employees.”
“What the Ministry is trying to do is take away a number of hard fought employment conditions, arbitrarily change
rosters and working hours , and present a new collective agreement which will essentially deliver a zero pay increase to
the majority of staff.”
MPI is being intransigent and continues to insist that pay is not a subject for negotiation for the majority of staff.
As a result of the merger of MAF, Fisheries and Food Safety Authority, MPI has three different collective agreements.
Richard Wagstaff says it appears MPI is doing what it said it wouldn’t do, and is taking the opportunity to reduce pay
and conditions by taking the lowest common denominators from the three contracts and seeking to apply them across the
board.
The PSA is claiming a 3% pay increase for all staff from July 2012 and 2.5% for each of the following two years. MPI’s
position is to offer a 1.5% increase to border staff, while the rest are expected to have their pay set at the
discretion of management.
“MPI staff work hard to support and protect New Zealand’s essential industries, our native flora and fauna and the
health of New Zealanders. They all deserve to have an expectation of a reasonable pay increase and a fair and
transparent remuneration system” Mr Wagstaff says.
PSA members at MPI are now planning unpaid stopwork meetings next month to consider and vote on a plan of escalating
industrial action.
The PSA is urging MPI to return to the negotiating table to try and discuss the issues in a reasoned and meaningful way.