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NZ PSA — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:30:05 +0000

The Prime Minister delivered a speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, detailing the government’s priorities, a new results-driven focus for the public service, a lower cap on staffing, and a proposed merger of four departments to form a new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

The PSA says there is no obvious logic to the merger and it has been announced before any cost-benefit analysis has been done. Once again thousands of public servants have been left uncertain about their future.

The new cap – and the need for departments to save $1bn in the next 3 years – will mean more job cuts and worse services.

He also released the report of the Better Public Services Advisory Group which he says “sets a clear direction for change”.

The report sets out plans for innovative and joined-up public services. This is welcome news. The reforms of the 1980s, which split government up into a mass of individual agencies, led to fragmentation that has often stood in the way of good services.

But the report has several major problems that cut across these intentions.

It fails to recognise that productive and innovative workplaces cannot be achieved in a climate of constant and dispiriting restructuring.

The report suggests that all government functions could be outsourced. This would be disastrous and create even more uncertainty for public sector workers with no evidence that private companies would deliver better public services.

What does the PSA want?

The PSA has long been advocating for better public services – connected, responsive, innovative and providing value-for money. To achieve our shared goals, we need to:

1. Stop the job cuts. They are damaging morale and sending talented workers overseas.

2. Look to doing “more with the same” not “less with less” by reinvesting savings in better services.

3. Call a halt on outsourcing and privatisation.

4. Give more power to public sector workers and citizens – the people at the sharp end – to foster improvements and less weight on chief executives ordering change.

5. A whole-of-government workforce approach including consistent employment conditions and wider career opportunities.

What do you think about these announcements? Have your say below.

Going going gone

NZ PSA — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:10:24 +0000

More than 100 scientists have signed an open letter to Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson protesting about the nearly 100 conservation jobs that will be cut over the next six months as many species and ecosystems teeter on the edge of oblivion. As they say, “recessions come and go: extinction is forever.”

More service cuts to come

NZ PSA — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:13:04 +0000

As part of its deal with Act, the National government will legislate to cap government spending. “In fact the cap will actually force reduction in many services and may force future governments to cut New Zealand superannuation,writes CTU economist Bill Rosenberg in the Dominion Post. To see some of the cuts that have occurred already click on the poster.

A challenge from the PSA to the incoming government

NZ PSA — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:12:08 +0000

The PSA has published an open letter to the incoming government. The letter appeared in the Sunday Star Times and the Herald on Sunday. Below is the full text. Let’s keep New Zealand working

A challenge from the PSA to the incoming government
One thing is clear today – New Zealanders don’t want their tax dollars going to overseas companies, private profits or to expensive consultants. We all want quality public services. What does that mean?

Putting people before profit

Making our country a fairer, more equal society

Services that are there when they’re needed, especially in times of crisis.

That’s what people want. It’s how this country works.

This is not the time to make more drastic cuts or to privatise our services.

Our public services can be even better. But that requires a genuine commitment by the incoming government to support and build quality public services.

It’s a commitment to our families, our communities, our businesses, our future.

Here’s our commitment. We have ideas for ways to build even better high-quality public services. We’re up to the challenge and we hope for everyone’s sake that the incoming government is too.

Like all New Zealanders we urge them to keep New Zealand working.

Vote for the Future

Matthew ODriscoll — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:08:00 +0000

Public spending often directly focuses on the future. Investment in high-quality public and community services pays dividends for future generations, helping reduce inequality and ensuring that we have a well-educated and healthy population. Good road infrastructure and public transport are essential for economic progress, while most of the policy development and investment in climate change prevention and mitigation comes from the public sector.

Despite this, we are facing cuts in our public services that could jeopardise that future. In 2011, for example, the health budget increased by only $436 million in new operational funding. The Council of Trade Unions estimated this was $127 million short of the $564 million required for services to stand still[1].

After three years of financial constraint, state agencies will also have to find savings of nearly $1billion over the next three years. And already we have seen cuts at the Department of Conservation that will severely impair the department’s technical expertise in the regions, raising concerns among conservation groups about how this will impact on innovation and new best practice in work being done to protect native species[2].

Everywhere, PSA members are reporting an increase in workloads and stress as they grapple with reduced funding and staffing, and endless restructurings. This is moving beyond value-for-money to affect the ability of these committed workers to deliver quality services. The PSA is committed to improving the quality and productivity of our public services, but not at the cost of indiscriminate cuts.

This Saturday, vote for the future. Vote for a government that will invest in properly funded public services, and the people who deliver them.

[1]http://union.org.nz/sites/union.org.nz/files/Did%20the%20Budget%20provide%20enough%20for%20Health%202011_0.pdf

[2] See for example, http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/5894188/DOC-cuts-concern-sanctuary-staff

450+ members at Wellington meeting

Matthew ODriscoll — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:05:33 +0000

More than 450 PSA members took part in todays multi-employer stopwork meeting at the Michael Fowler Center in central Wellington.

Check it out!

Political party policy comparisons

Matthew ODriscoll — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:42:48 +0000

This election will shape the public sector for years to come. The result will affect the future of your job, the public services you rely on, and your standard of living. The PSA has questioned the political parties on some of the issues that affect people working in the public sector. We contacted all the parties seeking re-election. All replied with the exception of the Act party which responded too late to make the print deadline for The Journal but its responses are in the short version below. We make no comment about the responses but leave it to you to be the judge. Long policy comparisons Short policy comparisons

Do the maths on public servic cuts

Matthew ODriscoll — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:30:47 +0000

We finally get a glimpse of just how ‘small’ the government thinks small government should be. From an interview with Bill English in the Sunday Star Times: “It has slashed new spending provisions and put the public service on a belt-tightening programme for which, English warns, there is no end in sight. The public services, he says, is only about a quarter of the way through the processes of reshaping it around tighter budgets, fewer public servants and fewer government departments English cites that process, and significant welfare reform, as the two big priorities of a second-term National government”. We’ve already seen 5500 jobs cut or left vacant in the three years of this government. 5500 is one quarter of 22,000. There’s about 44,000 public servants. If they are only a quarter of the way through how many jobs exactly are they planning to cut in the next three years if they are re-elected? Do the maths.

Two cool election videos from the CTU

NZ PSA — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:32:57 +0000

Professional services from a professional workforce

Matthew ODriscoll — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:13 +0000

New Zealand depends on the professionalism and expertise of its public servants. For example, our horticulture and agriculture sectors rely on MAF quarantine officers intercepting any nasty insects that might be trying to immigrate by hiding in the corners of import containers – if the insects get out, they could do untold damage to the economy by destroy international confidence in our produce exports. Public servants know their jobs are important to New Zealanders, and when they are asked about why they chose to work in the public service, most reply: ‘to make a difference’. That’s the ethos of public service and it’s a strong driver for quarantine officers and all the other occupations that support the Kiwi way of life. But to do good jobs, public servants must be treated fairly. Fair pay and conditions, and the protection of strong employment laws, are the right of every workers. And their work should be respected. For a quarantine officer doing a skilled job in sometimes unpleasant working conditions, it’s not very motivating to hear the Prime Minister talking about ‘bloated and wasteful public services’. Or to hear that public service jobs are being cut.