Community Sector committee - Local Government delegates reps
The following delegate representatives have been elected or re-elected to a position on the PSA Community Sector committee. This committee governs PSA Local Government and reports through to the PSA Executive Board.
• Benedict Ferguson, Manukau City Council (Auckland / Northland)
• Flash Sandham, Taupo District Council (Midlands – Waikato / BOP / Gisborne)
• Neil Coup, Hutt City Council (Lower North Island)
• Roy Ramsey, Marlborough District Council (South Island)
Local Government Organising Committee
The following delegate representatives have been chosen to a position on the PSA Local Government Organising committee. This committee’s role is to grow the PSA local government union and to implement the local government Strategy for Bargaining.
Click here to enlarge
• Yvonne Bohn, Auckland City Council (Auckland / Northland)
• Ted Rippey, Waipa District Council (Midlands – Waikato / BOP / Gisborne)
• Ian Cooper, Palmerston North City Council (Lower North Island)
• Michelle Argyle, Invercargill City Council (South Island)
PSA Bargaining in local government
The PSA takes a consistent nationwide approach to bargaining for workplaces in local government. This strategy has been endorsed by delegates with input from PSA local government organisers. Click here to read or download the PSA Local Government Bargaining Strategy 2009-2011.
PSA position paper on council controlled organisations and on outsourced or privatised services in local government
Pay and employment equity in local government
Making sure pay, conditions and access to jobs and opportunities are not affected by gender.
Update on pay and employment equity in local government
Department of Labour guide on equity in local government
Gisborne DC leads the way in equity reviews
Gisborne District Council is the first local authority to have carried out a pay and employment equity review.
Case study
Letter from chief executive
The PSA represents union workers on the board of the Local Government Industry Industry Training Organisation.
Visit the LGITO website here.
Read the latest LGITO newsletter.
Local Elections 2010
PSA Local Elections 2010 campaign launched Go here
For the latest information on the new Auckland Council go to our Keep Auckland Working page.
Auckland Regional Public Libraries
To contact PSA regional library delegates, go here.
Victory for library lovers
Tauranga city council has abandoned plans to charge for library books in the face of overwhelming public pressure.
Late last year the council proposed putting a 50 cent charge on all adult fiction and non-fiction books.
The idea has now been shelved along with a plan to reduce book stocks from 2.6 books per head of population to 2.35 books.
The turnaround is a victory for those who campaigned against the moves. The ‘Save our Libraries’ group held public meetings and galvanised community support whilst Green Party MP Gareth Hughes took up the issue with Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.
In January, the PSA
national secretary Brenda Pilott said the move undermined the principle that public libraries and their services be free and accessible to all members of the public.
“Libraries play an essential role in enhancing literacy and providing information that supports our education system and our democracy,” she said. Charging a fee to borrow books would restrict access to that literature and information.
The PSA is very happy about this outcome for the people of Tauranga and the example it sets to other councils across the country.
PSA opposed to Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill
In general we oppose this Bill on the grounds that it will erode public and democratic ownership and control of public assets and public services and in doing so erode the working conditions, wages and career prospects of our members employed in local government. Read the full PSA submission here.
New survey shows that Libraries are widely used
The Government has released its Kiwis Count survey of public satisfaction with public services report. This includes local government. Members working in local government libraries may be interested to see that public libraries are the second most used public service and that they have an 82% satisfaction rating - see page 33 of the survey document.
Auckland restructuring and local communities
The latest issue of Local Matters, the newsltter of the Institute of Public Policy, takes a look at the implications of the Auckland restructuring for the well-being of Auckland's communities. Read it here.
Union success at the Auckland Museum
The PSA has signed a collective agreement with the Auckland Museum (joint agreement with the Amalgamated Workers Union).
This is the first collective agreement the members at the Museum have had for 20 years, and only the second PSA collective at a major museum in New Zealand. It has been a long struggle to build a PSA presence at the Auckland Museum especially against the background of the extensive restructuring that occurred 18 months ago which led to 60 staff being made redundant. The new agreement contains improved protections and security for members.
PSA members have not only their first agreement, they have also negotiated an across the board pay increase for union members. They rejected the proposed performance linked pay regime which is now in place for non-union staff. It's a significant achievement, especially for workers in the local government public service sector where unfair performance linked pay is common.
PSA delegates and members have played a key role in achieving this agreement. They have organised themselves every step of the way and ensured that PSA membership has increased almost threefold even in spite of the loss of many members during the restructuring.
PSA holds national meeting on local government
The government is not planning any further council amalgamations but that does not mean more happen, says Local Government Minister Rodney Hide. “I don’t believe amalgamation is a good thing generally, I’m more of a federalist.” However more thought, he said, needed to be given to local government structure because smaller councils may lack capacity or capability.
Rodney Hide was speaking at PSA Local Government National Meeting last month. Local government PSA delegates from more than 20 councils from Far North to Invercargill attended the meeting, which was held in Auckland. Officials from the Southern Local Government Officers Union also attended for part of the Meeting.
Read on..
Letter to Rodney Hide
Improving Local Government Transparency, Accountability and Fiscal Management – comments from the PSA. Read on.
PSA backs libraries campaign
The PSA supports the ‘New Zealanders Love Libraries’ campaign launched by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa (LIANZA).
LIANZA says the campaign is “to make sure libraries are not forgotten in any change to the Local Government Act.”
The government has agreed to a request by Local Government Minister and ACT Party leader Rodney Hide to review the Local Government Act 2002. Mr Hide says he wants the law changed to require local government to focus on core activities. Read on.
Local government across the world
The latest bulletin of the PSI AREC covers such issues as the privatisation of municipal services, reversing privatisation and alternatives to public sector reforms. Read it here.
What are core services?
Two mayors with strong views on what constitutes core services, Len Brown from Manukau City and Clive Geddes from Queenstown-Lakes District Council, gave their vews on RNZ's Morning Report. Listen here.
Local Government under review
"There will have to be trade-offs between the services wanted by communities and the services councils can afford to provide in the future," said Local Government Minister Rodney Hide, announcing a review of local government. Read the press release here, For reaction go here
Contracting out services not wothwhile
An independent report commissioned by the Australian Services Union has found that contracting out council services is not worthwhile for local councils, employees or communities.
Key issues in local government
The PSA briefing paper to the Minister Rodney Hide highlighted some of the key issues for members working in local government.
Local services at risk
The PSA is concerned that the appointment of ACT leader Rodney Hide will lead to the privatisation of local government services.More
Staff costs not to blame for rate rises
A report from the Local Government Rates Inquiry shows that local government staff costs are not responsible for rate rises.
Summary of findings
PSA media release
PSA response to review of local government law
The PSA supports the groundbreaking Local Government Act 2002 but says there is a need to both strengthen the “good employer” provisions. The PSA made several recommendations on the review of the Act.
PSA submission
PSA submission to the Local Government Rates Inquiry
The PSA made a submission to the Local Government rates inquiry in April 2007. We opposed privatisation and called for a re-think of local government funding.
Local Government Rates Inquiry
The PSA made a submission to the Local Government rates inquiry in April 2007. We opposed privatisation and called for a re-think of local government funding.
PSA submission
The changing interface between central and local government
A PSA Journal article by Christine Cheyne of Massey University.