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The Corrections Department has disputed statements from prison unit managers that their pay has been cut despite increases for less senior staff.
The managers' union, the Public Service Association, yesterday issued a notice of industrial action starting on June 7.
PSA organiser Alan Ware said from that date unit managers would only work from 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday, and would refuse to do "on call" work outside those hours, or take work-related phone calls.
Corrections had effectively cut managers' pay by $4500, he said.
He said they did it by axing their "muster allowance" - a payment to reflect the extra work caused by overcrowding.
At the same time, the department increased the pay of prison officers, who the unit managers supervised, by up to $7000 a year.
Unit managers had not been given an increase, Mr Ware said.
But Prisons acting assistant general manager Brendan Anstiss said managers had never been paid the muster allowance. "This was paid to custodial staff.
"Unit managers received a one-off payment in recognition of the high work levels at the time."
Managers had in fact received pay increases in line with market rates, Mr Anstiss said.
Corrections had met with the PSA three times since December, in an effort to negotiate a collective agreement, he said.
Talks broke down last month, Mr Anstiss said.
Corrections was disappointed unit managers were planning to take industrial action and remained hopeful they would abandon the action and return to talks, he said.
"The department would like to emphasise that the proposed industrial action will have little impact on prison operations," Mr Anstiss said.
Mr Ware said earlier the action would cause significant problems for the prison system because of the large amount of "on-call" and after hours work the unit managers carried out.
- NZPA
