The Public Service Association wants national guidelines on the appropriate use of the internet by state sector workers.
The proposal comes after High Court Justice Robert Fisher admitted accessing a pornographic internet site from his work computer.
It later emerged that 11 workers from Government departments, including the police, were sacked in the past three years for inappropriate internet use, and many others were warned.
The association's national secretary, Richard Wagstaff, said he was working with the State Services Commission to create guidelines to "ensure a fair and consistent response to any cases of alleged internet misuse". Disciplinary actions by managers were too inconsistent, he said.
Justice Fisher was reprimanded by Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias but retained his position. Others have been fired.
"They [disciplinary actions] run the gamut from no action taken to dismissal."
He said exploring sex sites on a work computer was not acceptable, nor was it conducive to a safe and healthy work environment.
"However this is not to suggest that when it comes to the internet, good employment practice does not have to apply."
Employee training was needed to ensure they understood what internet use was appropriate and, if people accessed pornographic sites by accident, what steps could be taken to remedy the situation.
Employees using computers should not have to work in a "climate of fear".
"It would be a retrograde step if employees became too scared to use the internet, or if employers decided to place a blanket ban on all personal use," he said.
The line between work and home was often "blurred". Computers were a necessary part of life and the internet was a useful tool.
He said the association wanted a rational and balanced approach that dealt effectively and consistently with the internet's less savoury aspects.
- NZPA
Internet misuse rules should be clear: PSA
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