Ministry of Fisheries and unions reach agreement

25 July 2008

“The Ministry of Fisheries and the PSA and NUPE unions have reached agreement in principle on the terms and conditions of employment for union members,” Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive Wayne McNee announced today.

MFish and the PSA and NUPE unions have been in negotiations on a new collective employment agreement with negotiations held this week on Wednesday, Thursday and today (Friday).

“The Ministry of Fisheries has always been committed to the bargaining process and to negotiating in good faith with unions” said Mr McNee.

“The union negotiating representatives have agreed to draft terms and conditions and will now go back to their members to ratify the draft agreement.”

“I am very pleased that MFish and union representatives have worked together constructively to get to this point. We have arrived at a draft agreement that is acceptable to both sides and I am hopeful that union members will ratify the agreement.”

Unions advise this agreement means the industrial action mentioned in a press release from the PSA and NUPE on 21 July will now not go ahead.

“Fishery officers and investigators will be on duty next week and the New Zealand public can have confidence that our fisheries are well protected,” Mr McNee said.

“All our staff are committed to their jobs and take the protection of our fisheries seriously. Nobody wanted to see industrial action and my thanks go to both teams for their hard work to ensure that it didn’t go ahead.”