Advert ‘illustrates basis for police pay claim’

Press, 29 January 1986, Page 3

Advert ‘illustrates basis for police pay claim’

PA Wellington An advertisement for a shorthand typist, offering $19,000 to $20,500, graphically illustrated the basis for the police wage claim, said the Police Association president, Mr Keith Morrow, yesterday. The basic rate for a first-year constable was $16,786, or $22,638 including built-in allowances for overtime, penalty and night work, he said. A first-year constable’s working conditions were far different from a shorthand typist who had “straight hours and an inside job.” "Often the other bits and pieces a frontline officer has to do are very distasteful,” said Mr Morrow. The Government yesterday approved the restructured pay offer made to the police last week. Approval came after a meeting of the Cabinet Policy Committee yesterday morning, held after

Government insistence that the latest proposal —- worked out in negotiations between officials and the Police Association on Friday — did not cost more than the $55 million original offer made before Christmas.

It was the latter offer which led to police dissatisfaction and warnings of industrial action unless the Government produced a new oackage. The Minister of Police, Mrs Hercus, said yesterday redistribution of funding for the original package enabled a “complex restructuring” within bounds set by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. Mr Lange said last week the original pay offer would not be revised upwards, but there were "all sorts of things within the offer” which could be negotiated.

Mrs Hercus said that because parts of the original package were dropped, funding became

available to adjust basic salaries of constables and sergeants, but the 5 per cent rate for senior sergeants and inspectors remained.

Probationary constables — those in their first two years of service — would have basic pay Increased 6.5 per cent, while more senior and experienced officers would get an increase of 8 per cent.

“While the standard fortnightly salary for police officers will be higher under the new package, they will now not be able to earn additional overtime and penalty payments for roster breaches which would, under the original offer, have gained an average additional payment of approximately $l5OO a year,” Mrs Hercus said.

“Some individuals would have received very much more.” She said the revised offer would go to the chief negotiator for the

police services organisation, Dr Bob Moodie, who had already given support for the proposal. The Christchurch police decided yesterday to withdraw their vote of no confidence in Mrs Hercus. The majority of Police' Association members were satisfied with the new pay offer, said the deputy chairman of the association’s Christchurch branch, Detective Sergeant Neville Higgison. If the new package is accepted salaries, including built-in allowances, would increase as follows:

First-year constables — $22,638 to $31,323; thirdyear constables — $23,514 to $32,995; sergeants — $28,500 to $40,009; seniorsergeants — $31,577 to $43,106; inspectors — $35,286 to $48,178. The highest paid job in the department is that of commissioner, whose salary, fixed by the Higher Salaries Commission, is about $98,000.