Govt buys time for surplus forestry staff

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 14

Govt buys time for surplus forestry staff

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington Hie Government has negotiated with the new Forestry Corporation to keep surplus wage workers employed beyond April 1, 1987, when the Forest Service ends. It will pay the Forestry Corporation to keep those wage workers identified as surplus on the payroll at least until March 31, 1988. This was a social contract aimed at giving those potentially at a disadvantage by the changes time to adjust said the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Palmer.

The corporation would remain responsible for those Wage workers, who would work on the same terms and conditions as other staff hired by the corporation after April 1, 1987, he said. The corporation believed that this transition step would allow it to improve efficiency and productivity while taking a commercial approach to the employment of its entire workforce. As part of the package, the corporation would take on 10 per cent more wage workers than it needed if applications exceeded the jobs available.

Any remaining Forest Service workers would be employed in return for the direct grant received from the Government, Mr Palmer said.

He had no accurate figures to show how many would be surplus so the package had been designed to cover however many were affected. ‘

“Because we don’t know the numbers we do not know the cost either,” Mr Palmer said. “The reason we have no idea of the numbers is because we do not know how many will take the voluntary severance option.”