Public servants to discuss wage round

Press, 14 September 1988, Page 11

Public servants to discuss wage round

By

RICHARD CRESSWELL

industrial reporter About 1500 public servants in Christchurch will meet at the Christchurch Town Hall today to discuss strategy for the wage round. The regional secretary of the Public Service Association, Mr John McKenzie, said the two hour stop-work meeting would not affect essential services in Christchurch. Meetings would be held at Templeton and Sunnyside hospitals later in the day. The vice-president of

the Council of Trade Unions, Ms Angela Foulkes, would address the workers, with the vice-president of the P.S.A., Mr Bernard McDavitt. Meantime, Mr McKenzie said the Health Department was just one department facing likely future cuts. Seventeen per cent of staff or 23 workers might lose their jobs at the department in across-the-board cuts from public health to clerical staff. The P.S.A. is strongly opposing the cuts, which come on top of job losses

announced on Monday by the new owners of the Health Computing Service in Christchurch, Paxus. “We believe the Health Department cuts should wait until new area health boards have been set up,” Mr McKenzie said. The Council of Trade Unions had discussed the proposed• cuts with the department and opposed them. “It is a premature proposal.” Mr McDavitt said the plans breached both the department’s obligations to communities and an industrial agreement with the P.S.A.