Council Drops Threat To Sack Staff But PSA Still Unhappy About Election Restrictions

The PSA is pleased that Waitakere City Council has withdrawn a threat to sack staff who get involved in public election meetings in which only one candidate for the Waitakere council is speaking.

The threat of dismissal was contained in local government election protocols issued by Waitakere City Council to its staff.

Postal voting in local government elections, throughout the country, begins on September 21 and ends on October 13.

Waitakere City Council has issued election protocols to its staff that state "staff should not take part in any activity related to the election campaign of a current or potential elected member."
The protocols also say staff should not be involved in any public election meetings: "unless they are meetings where competing candidates present themselves for scrutiny."

The council was warning staff that any breach of the protocols will result in disciplinary action which may result in their dismissal.

"The PSA is pleased to say that this afternoon, after the PSA went public with it's concerns, the Waitakere City Council has amended the protocols and dropped the threat that staff could be sacked if they breached the protocols," says PSA National Secretary, Brenda Pilott.

"But we are still unhappy at the level of restriction the Waitakere council has its placed on its staff regarding their involvement in the Waitakere elections," says Brenda Pilott.

"We want to sit down with the council as soon as possible and sort this matter out."

Brenda Pilott says the PSA recognises the need for local government staff to be politically neutral when they're involved in council work.

"But council staff are also citizens, who live in a democracy, and have a right to participate in that democracy."

"We want to get together with the council and establish guidelines that will meet their concerns about maintaining political neutrality and allow staff to exercise their democratic rights during the elections," says Brenda Pilott.

The PSA is the union for 5000 local government workers, including staff at Waitakere City.

ENDS

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