Negotiation Update

11 04 08

CANZ ATTENDS AUSTRALIAN PRISON UNION SEMINAR

CANZ officials were invited to participate in a PRISON OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA Seminar held in Sydney last week, to specifically look at the terms and conditions for Prison Officers working in the various States of Australia, and in New Zealand.

CANZ National secretary Barry Noakes and National Advocate Ken Johnson presented a paper on the New Zealand experience, and received valuable feedback and information from the Australians, particularly in regard to shifts and rosters and the varieties of ways that Officers are rewarded for working various shift patterns.

The biggest problem currently facing the Australian Unions is the Labour Governments proposed move from State based Collective Agreements to what will potentially be a Federal Award. Because there is such a wide variety of terms and conditions State by State, the translation from State conditions to Federal conditions will be a lengthy and complex exercise.

The New Zealand representatives identified ongoing staff shortages and the high turnover of Corrections Officers in the NZ Prison system, including Officers leaving to work in Australia, as a major problem.

The Australian Unions and CANZ have committed to continuing dialogue and exchanging information on a wide range of issues of common interest.

NEGOTIATIONS RESTART NEXT WEEK FOR PRISON SERVICE COLLECTIVE AND ACRP SITE COLLECTIVE.

The CANZ Negotiation Team will meet with the Prison Service Negotiation Team in Auckland next Wednesday 16 April in an attempt to broker a new deal following the rejection of the previous offer by CANZ members.

The outstanding reasons for the rejection were the length of the term, and the percentages being offered.

The negotiations for the ACRP Collective Agreement will also recommence on Thursday 17 April. The ACRP site negotiations will continue to pursue issues surrounding the 12 hour shifts worked on that site, including short staffing, poor rostering practices and no rewards for working 12 hour shifts.

Friday 18 April has also been set aside by the union and the Department to revisit any issues raised at either negotiation.

A full report to CANZ Members regarding any progress made at either of these negotiations will be made by a further UPDATE.

ps: CANZ understands the PSA will meet with the Department on the Saturday following our 3 days of talks.

RECENT HISTORY LESSONS.

ACRP.

It is probably a timely reminder that 12 Hour Shifts were introduced into the New Zealand Prison Service by way of the ACRP Site in late 90’s early 00’s.

The Private Prison Contractor, Australian Correctional Management (ACM), also known as GEO, was given the opportunity by the then National Government to operate a Private Prison in New Zealand.

The PSA, without any members onsite, signed a deal with ACM allowing 12 hour shifts to be worked at ACRP, along with wages that were well below the rates paid in the Public Prison Service.

CANZ Officials attempted to represent Officers on that site but were denied entry by ACM Management and the Union had to go to Court to establish their right to represent Officers on that site.

The legal proceedings of that case were the most that CANZ had ever spent in any one issue at that time.

CANZ then organized the site into a 100% CANZ Union site.

Following the election of the Labour Government in 1999, ACRP was later transferred into the Public Prison Service.

During the transition process, CANZ negotiated all of terms and conditions that Public Prison Officers receive, including big increases in wages, into the ACRP Agreement.

The exception was the 12 hour shifts, which the Department of Corrections insisted on keeping. They were legally able to do this under the Greenfields provisions of the Employment Relations Act.

CANZ has insisted on keeping ACRP on a separate site specific Collective Agreement until such time as the Department addresses the 12 hour shift issues.

ACRP remains a 100% CANZ Organised site.

THE MUSTER CRISIS.

Between 2004 and 2006 when the Prison Service was experiencing what is now referred to as the “Muster Crisis”, the PSA signed a Variation to the Agreement which would allow the Department to use Casuals behind the wire (court cells), and introduce 12 hour shifts within the Prison Service.

CANZ steadfastly refused to allow this to happen and after a number of standoffs with the Department, managed to negotiate the “Muster Payments” for all CANZ Members which were the forerunner to the wages rates gained at the 2006 CEA Negotiations.

THE PSA and JOINT BARGAINING

The PSA has put out a recent Newsletter stating that it has approached CANZ to enter into joint bargaining with the Department and that CANZ has said NO!

This is not correct reporting of the communication between the CANZ Advocate and the PSA.

The CANZ Advocate told the PSA Officials that CANZ was prepared to attend facilitated talks on this matter, as has been arranged on 2 previous occasions when CANZ has requested the then NZCTU President Ross Wilson to facilitate talks between the parties.

This same offer has been made again, by CANZ, although CANZ has suggested a mediator could be used instead of the NZCTU, because CANZ perceives the leadership of the NZCTU as now having a strong PSA influence, and as a policy the NZCTU appears to favour big Unions over the interests of smaller Unions.

But also bearing in mind the “RECENT HISTORY LESSONS” above, the question has to be asked “Why would we bother”?

Yet even with this history and the recent activity we continue to try to engage our CTU comrades, with a goal to work constructively together for the benefit of our members.

CANZ National Executive