Council staff set to down tools again

In an unusual move for local government, angry Whakatane District Council staff are taking industrial action over stalled pay negotiations.

This week, 100 of them walked off the job for an afternoon and further protest is planned on Monday as employees and senior management face off.

Staff, smarting over accusations that they are overpaid and under-performing, will down tools at 3.30pm. Council management rejected an offer to provide sufficient workers to keep offices open.

In contention is the council's bid to do away with long-established entitlements in return for a 3 per cent pay rise.

That, says the Whakatane District Council Employees' Association, will cost staff 10-30 per cent of their historical terms and conditions.

Association delegate Paul Howells said it was "unheard of" in his 25-plus years working in local government for staff to go on strike. "Obviously the situation is pretty dire. To withdraw our labour is our only option."

Chief executive Dave Christison had told association members they were overpaid and under-performing, which was "a kick in the guts," especially after the effort and commitment employees had shown during and after last year's serious floods.

Mr Howells said stress levels were high and morale low. A number of long-serving senior employees had resigned over the eight months that negotiations had dragged on.

Wage and salary staff had not had a rise since mid-2003, he said. They had asked for a 3 per cent cost-of-living increase backdated to July but council negotiators wanted new agreements and an end to conditions, which would leave workers substantially worse off.

Mr Howells said members of the in-house union had unanimously rejected the council's proposals.

Said Mr Christison yesterday: "I don't know what happens next, quite frankly. Negotiations have been adjourned and no date set for resuming them."

Whakatane council employees were being paid about 10 per cent over the market value, he said.

Councils "up and down the country" had changed remuneration systems over the years "but we haven't".

Mr Christison, who has been in the job for 16 months, said the fact that Whakatane staff worked 37.5 hours a week instead of 40 alone represented a 6.5 per cent cost increase to ratepayers. They also received an extra three days' annual leave, between Christmas and New Year, which workers elsewhere did not.

WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS

* Increase the working week from 37.5 to 40 hours.

* Scrap the three-day leave entitlement between Christmas and New Year.

* Reduce redundancy pay entitlement from a maximum 42 weeks' pay to 26 weeks.

* Lengthen the continuous employment requirement before long-service leave is granted.

* End gratuity entitlement upon resignation (one week's pay a year after 10 years' service).