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Friday September 4, 2009

Akld Transition Agency must act on super city committee report          
 
The Public Service Association calls on the Auckland Transition Agency to act on the super city’ select committee report which supports the PSA’s calls to maintain the Auckland local government workforce.

“The committee has given a clear signal to the Auckland Transition Agency to retain as many of Auckland’s skilled and experienced local government workers as practicable as it makes the transition to a single Auckland council,” says PSA national secretary, Richard Wagstaff.

The Auckland governance legislation select committee has this afternoon issued its report after hearing more than 800 oral submissions during public hearings on the Government's ‘super city’ plan for Auckland

The PSA has 2600 members working for Auckland’s eight local authorities and council controlled organisations such as Manukau Water.

The committee report acknowledges the stress and uncertainty that Auckland’s local government workers are feeling 14 months away from the establishment of the single  Auckland council.    

The report states “we urge the Auckland Transition Agency to manage this process so as to affect as few employees as possible, and to retain as much institutional knowledge within the councils as practicable.”

“We’ve established a good relationship with the Auckland Transition Agency,” says Richard Wagstaff.

“We urge the agency to follow through on the strong signal from the select committee to hold onto as many of Auckland’s local government workers as possible.”

“We will be looking to work with the agency to make this happen.”

“It’s vital that Auckland does retain its skilled and experience local government workforce.”

“That’s because 1.4 million Aucklanders rely on their local government workers to provide essential services such as clean water, reliable roads, rubbish and waste water removal.”

“While we are  disappointed that the select committee did not act to ensure the delivery of these service is maintained by amending the legislation governing the creation of the ‘super city’ to ensure the region retains its existing local government workforce, it is now critical that ATA fill this requirement” says Richard Wagstaff.

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