P.S.A. numbers down

Press, 1 September 1989, Page 16

P.S.A. numbers down

PA Wellington The Public Service Association had lost more than 7500 members in the last two years, its general secretary, Mr Colin Clark, says. He said that was the

situation in March when the union’s membership had dropped to 66,000. Up-to-date losses would be even higher. The exact decline since then would not be known until the P.S.A.’s next membership audit on March 30. Public Service redundancies have been the main reason for the drop, the biggest in the union’s history.

The extension of the individual contract system down to middle-manage-ment levels might also have contributed but Mr Clark said the P.S.A. had no idea of the numbers lost in this way. A complicating element the number of public servants who might have

accepted contract employment, but who had also elected to remain P.S.A. members.

A year ago the union decided on a policy aimed at boosting the P.S.A.’s membership to 100,000.

That has been overtaken by a plan to form a new, super union covering most public-sector workers except teachers.

Announced in June, the tentatively named National Union of Public Employees (Nupe) would not only include P.S.A. members but also a number of other public-sector unions. Mr Clark said the future of the plan depended on the reaction of othfr public sector unlfhs.