Walking the Talk!

Since the settlement of the current CEA one could reasonably assume that we would be blessed with a reasonable period of peace, progress and prosperity. However, those who harbour such thoughts would be well advised to pack up their tents, move away from Fantasy Island and step back into harsh reality; You are, after all, working for PPS and things rarely, if ever, run that smoothly!

The fact of the matter is that there are currently several major (and some relatively minor) issues on the boil and all of them have the potential to directly affect employees of the Department of Corrections, regardless of affiliation. Many of these issues are currently being pursued by CANZ (and, as far as we know, CANZ alone) and they include, but are not limited to, the following matters of contention:

1. Acting Up Allowance
PPS’s current position is that:
· Officers who act up must do more than five consecutive days (in the past they have been paid act up allowance after having completed five days).
· The “more than five days” requirement must be met on each and every occasion that officers act up to a senior position.
CANZ’s position is that:
· Once an officer has met “the more than five days” requirement once, they should receive acting up allowance on each and every day that they act up in the future. The document contains no requirement for multiple qualification periods and we are currently pursuing a “sample case” on behalf of a Dunedin Officer via the Employment Relations Authority.

2. Additional Week of Annual leave after Six Years
This was presented to CANZ as a major issue for PPS during bargaining and, in the spirit of co-operation, we took their concerns to the members. After significant debate during membership meetings, the vast majority supported PPS’s claim in a genuine demonstration of good faith.

Accordingly, when it became clear that they had not pursued the same issue with those representing non-CANZ members, the matter became one of integrity and credibility. We raised the issue with PPS and their response suggests that they are singularly lacking in both of the above commodities. We are therefore filing with the Employment Relations Authority on the basis of our contention that your employer has breached the “good faith” provisions of the Employment Relations Act.

3. PCO Shift Leave
We filed a claim for shift leave on behalf of an Invercargill PCO who normally works an 8am – 5pm routine, but has often been called back to cover absences by shift workers. We took the matter to mediation, but were unable to progress the issue. We are now moving the matter on to the Authority and will keep you informed of progress. An interesting side issue of mediation was a suggestion by PPS that our claim was unfounded on the basis of their contention that all overtime is voluntary. This is a matter that will, no doubt, be of interest to those in Waikeria who are currently experiencing difficulty in this area.

4.Unplanned Absences Policy
Members in most institutions have raised concerns regarding the manner in which management are implementing the above policy. From a CANZ perspective, this policy was developed via the mediation service of the Department of Labour and is clearly enforceable. It is our belief that the current method of implementation knowingly breaches the spirit and intent of the original agreement and the reasons appear to be budget-driven. Accordingly, we have filed two sample allegations of “breach of agreement” with the Employment Relations Authority. The institutions concerned are Christchurch Women’s and Dunedin and we will keep you updated.

We are currently pursuing a significant number of additional issues and another informative update will follow within the next few days.

Regards,

Brian Davies
National Organiser