Fishery Officers’ Pay Rise Needed Post Scampi

Sunday 7 December 2003

MEDIA RELEASE
ATTENTION:
INDUSTRIAL/POLITICAL REPORTERS

Fishery Officers’ Pay Rise Needed Post Scampi

''NUPE wants the Government to pay urgent attention to the pay and conditions of Fishery Officers when it deals with the outcome of the Scampi Inquiry,'' said Nadine Marshall, Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) who represent Fishery Officers. She was commenting on the Primary Production Select Committee Inquiry into the management of the scampi fishery which recommended significant payouts to some firms earlier this week.

“Issues about Fishery Officers’ pay and conditions have been on hold since the Inquiry began due to resources being prioritised for the Inquiry. The Ministry says the Scampi allegations has cost it around $4.3m. Fishery Officers have also had to deal with public allegations of corruption,” said Nadine Marshall.

“The compliance activities of Fishery Officers is the main reason there are valuable fish stocks available in the quotas being distributed to the fishing industry and to Maori,” said Nadine Marshall. “Similarly the records they monitor provide the basis for the allocation of quota (as disputed in the Scampi Inquiry.)”

“Placing a quota on a fish stock immediately creates a contested property right and possible scampi type charges, but it also creates a price rise and a lucrative black market which Fishery Officers have to stop”, said Nadine Marshall. “Our Union wants to see an increase in pay for Fishery Officers of the order of what the MPs recently received – around 20%.”

Nadine Marshall said that the Inquiry showed how important and accountable the standard of compliance by Fishery Officers was to New Zealand’s future.

ENDS

© Scoop Media