The PSA has today filed proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority alleging Oranga Tamariki is not complying with the collective agreement relating to change processes.

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Assistant Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the action is being taken to stop dismissals until Oranga Tamariki and PSA work through the provisions of the collective.

"We are asking Oranga Tamariki to pause the change process and for no dismissals to take place as it will take some time to work through the provisions in the collective agreement. We are asking for the Government to re-think these dangerous cuts that will hurt children," Fitzsimons says.

Oranga Tamariki is looking to axe 419 net roles to meet the Government’s requirements for spending cuts.

Fitzsimons says the PSA has consistently raised this breach of the change management process agreed in the collective agreement with Oranga Tamariki without success.

"Kaimahi and the PSA have consistently raised grave concerns about the scale and nature of change at Oranga Tamariki, the devastating impact on affected kaimahi and their whānau, and the negative impact on the essential services that Oranga Tamariki provides to tamariki, rangatahi, and their whānau.

"Our overall position remains that we reject the destructive political agenda that the current Government has adopted with respect to public services generally and Oranga Tamariki specifically. The work of PSA members delivering these critical public and community services is much too valuable to be subject to such deep cuts," Fitzsimons says.

The legal action against Oranga Tamariki is similar in some respects to the case the PSA successfully took against Ministry of Education (MOE). In a determination last week, the Authority agreed with the PSA’s interpretation of the collective agreement in relation to the application of the MOE change process.

"Though there are some differences, the Oranga Tamariki and MOE collective agreements both provide a role for the union in proposing the nature of change and reaching agreement on recommendations to management who must then take them on board. In both ministries, the employers have not complied with this requirement.

"We are hopeful that we will not need to argue this case before the Employment Relations Authority given the clear decision in the MOE case.

"We have asked for an order from the Authority to attend mediation in an attempt to settle this dispute," Fitzsimons says.

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The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

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