Public servants getting partisan, says National

The Public Service Association (PSA) says it has done nothing wrong in attacking National Party policies in a newspaper.

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee has accused the union, which represents public servants, of pushing a pro-Labour agenda.

In an advertising feature in yesterday's Wellington Dominion Post newspaper, the PSA said communities would suffer if a National government slashed jobs in the public service.

National leader Don Brash has promised that if elected he would deliver tax cuts which could be partly funded through reducing the number of civil servants hired by Labour.

PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott said in the feature that National was going back to its policies of the 1990s when the public service was "gutted".

"[National finance spokesman] John Key won't fund its tax cuts from getting rid of useless bureaucrats. He will have to cut into the heart and core of the public service. He needs to come clean on what he intends," Ms Pilott said.

Mr Brownlee said the comments were out of order.

"Many PSA members will be disappointed that their union has chosen to embroil them in the election by embarking on a pro-Labour propaganda campaign, when they have received specific instructions from their managers to watch their step in the lead-up to the election," Mr Brownlee said.

However Ms Pilott said the PSA had every right to criticise policies that would affect its members.

"Public servants are politically neutral and we would not allow any party to undermine this fundamental principle of our democracy."

She said the union had not paid to be included in the feature and said the PSA was not affiliated to any party.

Union members had developed an agenda of issues to strengthen public services, and had sought commitments from all political parties.

"We intend publicising their responses because New Zealanders deserve answers from the parties about where they stand on public services."

However Mr Brownlee said the PSA was backing Labour so strongly because the Government was offering bribes to public servants who joined the union.

National released a statement saying Courts and Work and Income staff were being offered one-off payments if they joined unions - payments which were unavailable for people who did not sign up.

Courts staff were being offered $640 if they joined the union by June 17 and Work and Income staff had been offered $1200 if they joined by May 13.

National's Industrial Relations spokesman Wayne Mapp said the payments were an "underhand payback for the union's loyal support for Labour".

- NZPA