PSA MEDIA RELEASE

Oct 26th, 2011

For Immediate Use

The public service is the real world

Public servants are real people who do real jobs and have real lives, contrary to what State Services Minister Tony Ryall imagines, says the PSA.

The statement follows a comment in today’s Dominion Post that public servants are putting in more unremunerated hours to compensate for cutbacks. Tony Ryall’s response to that was, "Hello and welcome to what happens in the real world."

“Public servants are very familiar with the real world,” says the public sector union’s National Secretary Brenda Pilott.

“Unlike Tony Ryall, most public servants do not live in state-funded accommodation or travel in a chauffeur-driven BMW car. And most will not enjoy the gold-plated pension he is set to receive when he retires.

“It’s nothing new that public servants are dedicated workers who go the extra mile and put in extra hours, they have always done this. What’s not sustainable is people regularly working 50-hour weeks to prop up this Government’s cutbacks to public services.

“Like everyone else, public servants have lives outside of work, families to feed, children to raise and other commitments. If people are spending more and more time doing extra work for free something’s got to give in another part of their lives.

“I’m sure Tony Ryall puts in a long day too, but on a $249,100 salary he’s substantially better remunerated for his efforts than our average woman member who supports a family on $43,185.

“We’ve had our fair share of disasters in recent times and public servants have been right there doing all they can to help.

“Staff from across the public sector are working long hours, many away from home, to help with the Rena disaster in the Bay of Plenty. Some of them, like Department of Conservation staff, have the threat of redundancy looming over them, yet they are giving 100 percent to help in the crisis.

“For a minister to insinuate that public sector employees – many who deal with crisis situations on a daily basis or who are working in tough and stressful environments – do not live in the real world is nothing short of insulting,” says Brenda Pilott.

ENDS

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