This Wednesday at 10am CIE instructor’s nation wide will be taking a 24hr strike. There will be pickets outside every prison in the country. This is the first time ever CIE instructors are taking a day off as strike action.

Beven Hanlon President of CANZ said that this is a significant move by these instructors who train inmates in NZQA unit standard to assist in prisoner rehabilitation. It has been a long time coming and after almost 2 years of talks and many legal challenges from this government department these staff are finally able to start demonstrating their displeasure in the fact that they have never received a pay rise.

Our members haven’t received any pay rises when at least 8 staff on individual agreement and all managers have received several pay rises in this time. If there truly is no money why pay some and not the others. That is what our members want to know.

It has been 4 years since CIE was thought up. It had many grand ideas and philosophies but it is now time that the CEO and the minister of corrections accept that this sub department is a failure and that something drastic has to be done. There have been over 26 industries close in the last 4 years.

CIE need to acknowledge this failure pay our members and face up to review to see if thing were more efficient when run by the Public Prison Service. On the face of it CIE seems to be an organization that is full of Executives that all look after each other and have forgotten about what is really about.

These members will be picketing outside most prisons in the country. If you require more information contact B Hanlon about action in your area.