Central Hawke's Bay District Council is going ahead with its plan and will introduce random drug testing for all its staff, not just those in "safety critical" roles, despite union concerns.
The Public Service Association wrote to the council last week outlining its concerns about the inclusion of random testing in council's new staff drug and alcohol policy.
Chief executive Monique Davidson confirmed her council's executive leadership team approved the final policy on June 5, following some changes after months of staff consultation, before presenting it to staff on June 14.
She said the new policy would apply to all council's 77 full-time, part-time and casual staff from tomorrow, July 1, with random drug testing to come into effect from August 1.
"We consider the application of random testing a fair [and] transparent approach, by treating all staff equally. All staff have an element of risk attached to their role, particularly as the majority of staff drive council vehicles during their employment, which is considered a 'safety critical' task by other organisations," she said.