Working Life THE PSA JOURNAL JULY 2018 LIVING WAGE MANA WAHINE EQUAL PAY FOR DHB ADMIN WORKERS BETTER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES NOW Winter can be tough PSA Health Plan can help... With reimbursements towards GP visits, prescription costs, vaccinations and more - the plans are: º Day to Day medical reimbursement plans which include cover for all pre-existing medical conditions after serving short wait periods* Provided in conjunction with #care4U º Hospital Cover offering you choices about where and when to be treated for major health concerns Additional benefits are available if you combine either Primary Care or Primary Care Extra with a Hospital Cover plan – to find out more, call 0800 268 3763 or visit: www.psa.org.nz/plus * Policy terms and conditions apply contents 8-9 Living Wage Working Life: The new bottom line the PSA Journal Working Life is published quarterly. 10-11 12-13 14-15 Views and opinions expressed in Mana Wahine Equal Pay claim Mental Health Working Life do not necessarily equality for for DHB admin now is the time represent PSA policy. Māori women workers for better services Editor: Stephen Olsen. Design & layout: Dan Phillips. 5 Wheels of change Contributors: Ben Aulakh, Susannah Bailey, Peter Griffin, the first six months True Hayes, Tania Te Whenua, under Labour Jem Yoshioka. Printing: Webstar, Masterton. PSA Executive Board 7 Policy setting Janet Quigley (president), at the top table Kathy Higgins, Caroline Fisher, Benedict Ferguson, Jacky Maaka, Gail Arthur, Marshall Tangaroa, 24 Challenging theatre Lesley Dixon, Pania Love, with a workplace twist Erin Polaczuk and Glenn Barclay. PSA contact details PSA, PO Box 3817, Wellington. Regulars Freephone 0508 FOR PSA (0508 367 772). 4 President's message 22 The Workplace Email [email protected]. 16 - 17 Industrial update The working week NZDF victory 23 Behind The Scenes 18 - 19 International Comics and politics Thailand, PSI, May Day 26 Networks 20 Connected Eco, snapshots Privacy protections 28 Around & About 21 On The Job A life on the 30 Last word ocean waves Turning back time On the cover PSA National Secretary Glenn Barclay helping out at a Living Wage stall. www.psa.org.nz Working Life June 2018 3 President's message THE RANGE AND PACE of activity I was in the gallery at Parliament occurring across all of the sectors when it passed its second reading on covered by the PSA is picking up its 13 June and it was gratifying to hear intensity in 2018. MPs give acknowledgements of the part PSA played in this being taken As being played out daily in the public forward - led by former PSA president arena and media, the challenges Paula Scholes. Thank you so much for unions are both demanding and Paula. exciting. The current Government is setting an ambitious agenda and is If enacted this piece of legislation will presenting significant opportunities support victims of domestic violence for the PSA to engage with to directly to remain in paid employment by benefit all members (see facing page). providing 10 days paid leave a year, allowing time for attending court, Priorities such as our work on equal commended HPHE for creating “a meeting with support groups or pay remain constant, and are in step platform to establish change”. just being with children or family with issues we have repeatedly been A highly valued aspect of the PSA that members who may need extra care. at the forefront of over the 105 years I always draw members’ attention to since the PSA was founded. is the strength of our network groups A key event coming up in the next for connecting you to other members quarter of the year is the PSA It is heartening to observe and with similar interests or issues across Congress. Held every second year this celebrate the diversity of societal the union as a whole. is set to take place in Wellington on and industrial breakthroughs that 25-26 September. It will draw your often take years and decades of Planning for the next Women’s PSA delegates from all over the dedicated effort to achieve. As an Network conference, which I am country together to focus on the example I along with other union supporting, is well underway for future of our union, as well as on representatives and the National 16-17 August. A recent highlight the theme of the future of work in a Council of Women, attended the for the network was an opportunity rapidly changing world. launch of the NZ Football pay parity to meet with Government MP Jan event in May where the ‘playing field’ Logie who spoke about her Domestic Kia pai tou tatou Matariki between women and men in that Violence—Victims' Protection Bill. Janet Quigley sport was made more equal. If football can do it so can we! One of the ongoing areas of PSA work that is quietly but steadily gaining more traction is the trust and effectiveness strand of our Transforming Our Workplaces agenda. Proof that High Performance High Engagement practices can make a real and lasting difference, for instance, won recognition this year at the South Canterbury DHB with an award presented to PSA members Maureen Chamberlain and Jo Hunter and NZNO member Chris Gloag for their joint project mahi (see also our Standing together: Members of the PSA Women's Network heard from Green Party MP Jan Logie in News in Brief on page 6). SCDHB June on a wide range of topics including the progress of the Domestic Violence - Victims' Protection chief executive Nigel Trainor has Bill through Parliament, and the Law Society’s survey of bullying and harassment in the legal industry. 4 www.psa.org.nz Working Life June 2018 Setting the Scene The wheels of change are turning OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS of key challenges facing the economy 2018 it seems seldom a day has gone including technological change POISED FOR ACTION by without announcements from and the transition to a low carbon As Working Life was going to the Beehive pointing to adjusted economy. press PSA members at MBIE directions and major reviews. 2018 BUDGET and Inland Revenue were being The implications of the prospective balloted for their support for changes being set in motion by the Amidst all the activity related to work stoppages in July. The Government have huge potential reviews (almost 40 of them by potential action was driven by and significance for PSA members the Government's own estimate), high frustration across factors across all of our sectors for the short, this year's Budget had relatively such as slow and unfair pay medium and long-term. low visibility. CTU economist Bill progression and pay offers Rosenberg characterised it as a "stop below increases in cost of living. There have been so many the bleeding" Budget. An intention to announcements that it's important take a well-being approach to Budget not to lose sight of them all. 2019 was signalled and the Budget FAIR PAY AGREEMENTS speech on 17 May focused strongly SETTING EXPECTATIONS on the theme of rebuilding core On 5 June Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway Going back to April, an important public services. named former Prime Minister Jim initial cornerstone was set in WELFARE GROUP Bolger as the head of a team that the form of the Government will make recommendations on Expectations on Employment On 28 May Social Development the design of a Fair Pay Agreement Relations in the State Sector which Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced system by the end of 2018. Lees- embed the role of "effective and an expert advisory group "to support Galloway: “The aim of FPAs is the overhaul of the welfare system" productive realtionships with to prevent a race to the bottom." unions" in giving employees a voice and to deliver its advice by February The PSA response was that last in their workplace. This had been 2019. The 11-member group is being year’s $2 billion care and support agreed as policy by Cabinet in March chaired by Professor Cindy Kiro, a settlement was, in many ways, a Fair and replaced in its entirety the former Children's Commissioner. Pay Agreement – and one that has Government Expectations for Pay One way the PSA is proposing to enjoyed huge public support. and Employment Conditions set by provide the Group with the input of the previous Government in May frontline perspectives and voices is Also in June State Services 2012. through a worker panel. Minister Chris Hipkins announced implementation of the Living Wage Given the scale of bargaining this HEALTH SECTOR REVIEW across core public services. year the very real challenge is On Health Minister David to break down resistance to the 29 May A FULL YEAR AHEAD Clark announced a major review expectations set by Government. into the New Zealand Health and The wheels of change are not slowing FUTURE WORK FORUM Disability Sector to identify changes down. The reconvened Joint Working that could improve the performance, Group on Pay Equity Principles On 3 May the Prime Minister structure, and fairness of the sector. will be given a boost in July, a new announced the formation of a Ministry of Housing and Urban tripartite Future Work Forum to The deadline for an interim report Development is being established be led by Finance Minister Grant by an expert review panel chaired by and a programme of potentially Robertson alongside CTU president Heather Simpson is July 2019, with ground-shifting legislative changes is Richard Wagstaff and Business NZ's a final report expected by January likely to expand further before year's Kirk Hope.