The pay equity claim for probation officers has gone to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), four years after it was first lodged.

The PSA lodged its claim with the Department of Corrections in 2021. The PSA later consolidated its claim with a claim from the National Union of Public Employees.

"These workers perform some of the most complex and risky work that public servants undertake in this country," said Josephine O’Connor, PSA Lead Organiser for Corrections. "We are talking about an overwhelmingly female workforce that supervise 70% of those managed by Corrections; those on Life Parole, Extended Supervision, Home Detention, Intensive Supervision and beyond - the 26,000 people that Corrections has responsibility for managing in the community."

The application to the ERA asks it to decide rates of remuneration for probation officers that are free from gender-based discrimination. The ERA has the power to fix those rates.

This escalation comes after the PSA provided extensive evidence that probation officers are significantly underpaid because of gender-based discrimination.

"Given the rising pressures on Corrections staff and the Coalition Government’s explicit desire to increase the prison population, we’d expect to see a commensurate recognition of the need to maintain a workforce capable of managing those being released. On top of those being released from prison, probation officers support those returned to New Zealand via the Returned Overseas Offenders legislation, manage thousands of electronically monitored sentences and electronic bail, write pre-sentence reports, and undertake essential interagency work with Police, Justice and Oranga Tamariki.

"We are not seeing any such awareness from Corrections of the need to pay these staff appropriately; despite their knowledge of the value of the work performed by these staff. It’s a ticking time bomb as our members can only wait so long for this situation to be addressed. Corrections is utterly dependant on this workforce."

The PSA represents the almost 1400 probation officers covered by the claim.

"Receiving equitable pay, would mean that these workers can stay with Corrections and keep doing the work they care so much about: keeping communities safe and rehabilitating those who have offended. Members in these roles should be able to pay the rent, put food on the table, and enjoy the self-determination that comes with financial independence and security. Equitable pay will make it easier for people who want to serve their communities to choose probation work as their profession, for Corrections to recruit new staff, and for people to continue doing this important work.

"Having this claim resolved would mean communities can be assured they are safe - at present our members cannot see themselves remaining with Corrections for much longer, as they can earn so much more elsewhere - the implication of Corrections losing this workforce will be disastrous.

"We need Corrections to wake up before it’s too late and come to the ERA with a desire to resolve this claim and pay up in the shortest possible timeframe."

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