Thursday, April 19, 2007

A million $ or more for 'partnership recognition'?

CYFS staff members who belong to the PSA will be paid a bonus of $650.

Last year CYF employed 2,670 full-time equivalents. I have no idea what percentage would be union members. If it's half or more the total payment, "taxpayers money" says National MP, Anne Tolley, would be pushing $1,000,000.

What I can't get my head around is what the payment is for.

"As the CYF/PSA partnership enters a new era following the merger with MSD, it has been agreed to recognise the success of the previous and ongoing partnership between CYF and the PSA through a one-off 'partnership recognition' payment of $650 gross (pro-rated for part-time staff)."

As usual, if I can't find a satisfactory explanation for an action I start pondering what one could be. Anecdotally CYF staff have been told to get behind the Bradford Bill, and not sign petitions. Is this a sort of reward or compensation for those aggrieved by this instruction? Perhaps it's a sweetener for all the extra work CYF staff will be doing after the bill passes. Or are we simply seeing a cementing in of collectivism and Labour support?

Whatever it is, it's pretty rich, in more ways than one.

(Just an aside, thinking about the PSA reminded me how a WINZ worker contacted the local ACT candidate during the removal of work-testing on the DPB debate. That was back in 2002. He put her in touch with me. She was against the removal and later told me that their PSA rep used to circulate my press releases around the office. It may not have been the rep's intention, but the WINZ worker said my statistics etc were the only way staff could get a handle on the bigger picture. Unfortunately, neither are in those jobs today.)

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