PSA MEDIA RELEASE August 31, 2007 For Immediate Use

PSA Disappointed Waitakere Misrepresenting Events Regarding Election Protocols

The PSA is disappointed that the Waitakere City Council is misrepresenting what occurred today regarding the council amending its election protocols.

The council's public affairs director, Wally Thomas, issued the following media advisory. This afternoon the National Office of the PSA issued a media statement critical of Waitakere City Council and staff protocols for the lead up to local body elections. At the time that media statement was issued, senior Council management were meeting the on-site PSA delegate to resolve matters. There had also been a meeting and other discussions earlier in the week. Following today's meeting- and prior to the PSA issuing its statement- the staff protocols were amended (and agreed to by the on-site PSA delegate).The claims made in the PSA's statement are therefore not valid.

This advisory contains a number of statements that are wrong.

1 The statement that senior council management were meeting with the on-site PSA delegate to resolve matters, when the PSA issued a media statement critical of the council's election protocols, is wrong.

That facts of the matter are the delegate met with council's chief executive Harry O'Rourke, before the PSA release was issued. The delegate asked Mr O'Rourke if he would reconsider the union's concerns about the protocols. He said that a change made to the protocols as the result of a meeting, on Wednesday August 29, between council management a PSA organiser, and the delegate, was the only change that would be made. The meeting ended with delegate saying the PSA would now issue the release. The delegate contacted a PSA staff member and the release was issued shortly after 1pm. 2. The statement that following today's meeting, and prior to the PSA issuing its statement, the staff protocols were amended, is wrong

The facts of the matter are the delegate was called to a meeting with council chief executive, Harry O'Rourke, and other senior council managers about 30 minutes after the PSA's media release was issued. Mr O'Rourke told the delegate that the council wanted to make some changes to the protocols. The delegate asked why changes had not been made earlier. She was told that matters had been brought to the managers attention and they wanted to make the changes.

3 The statement that the amendments to the protocol were agreed to by the delegate and therefore the claims made in the PSA statement are not valid, are wrong.

The delegate told the managers the changes were an improvement to the protocols but she needed to talk to PSA officials about the changes. The delegate left the meeting and consulted PSA officials. The union then issued a second media release stating that it was pleased the council had withdrawn the statement that staff could be dismissed if they breached the protocols. The second release also states that the union is still unhappy at the level of restriction the council has its placed on its staff regarding their involvement in the Waitakere elections.

"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 PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott.

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