Parliamentary staff stop work over pay

Parliamentary staff will stop work for an hour today to protest a pay freeze and changes to their redundancy provisions.

Parliament's security guards attended a one-hour stop work meeting on Thursday.

The meeting today involves all staff, including librarians, receptionists and security guards, who are members of the Public Service Association (PSA).

They began negotiations on their collective employment agreement seven months ago and voted to take industrial action because their employer, Parliamentary Service, had frozen their pay and was denying them the right to collectively negotiate their pay, PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff said.

They were also against moves by Parliamentary Service to have no redundancy payments during the first year of employment and to reduce the maximum level of redundancy for new staff.

PSA assistant national secretary Jeff Osborne said the staff members had been to mediation and were "frustrated that they're still trying to achieve a fair and reasonable settlement".

"They're taking action to show their determination to achieve a fair and reasonable settlement."

Parliamentary Service general manager Geoff Thorn said arrangements had been made to deal with disruption.

"We are hopeful the PSA will return to the table and the agreement will be concluded in the near future," he said.

The alternative arrangements would ensure Parliament remained "safe and secure during the planned industrial action".

Public access will be restricted to the main entrance but tours will continue as normal.

- NZPA