About fifty Community Corrections workers demonstrated outside the Manukau District Court in Auckland. Photo: RNZ/ Lucy Xia
Nearly 2000 Community Corrections workers across the country walked off their jobs in strike this afternoon, after months of failing to reach an agreement on pay negotiations.
The workers include probation officers, electronic monitoring staff, bail support officers and community programme facilitators.
The Public Service Association (PSA) representing the workers says the strike action follows nine months of negotiations with Corrections, with 90 percent of the workers rejecting the latest pay offer.
Demonstrations took place in Kaikohe, Auckland, Tauranga, Hastings, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, with many picketing outside district courts and community corrections facilities.
PSA said it was the first time these workers had gone on strike since 2001.
PSA lead organiser Josephine O'Connor said the current offer was inadequate.
"We need an offer that properly recognises the pressures on the households of members and the valuable work our members do to keep communities safe," she said.
O'Connor said for many of the workers, the offered pay rise did not match the rate of inflation.
She said the average salary for community corrections workers was about $67,000, which was the lowest among any government department.
PSA lead organiser said the current pay offer was inadequate. Photo: RNZ/ Lucy Xia
An Auckland probation officer who was striking today outside Auckland's Manukau District Court said it was a high-risk, low-paid job, and feared many were getting burnt out.
"We're dealing with offenders with extensive criminal records, so even face to face contact is always a risk, but then there's being overworked," he said.
"So a lot of our probation officers are getting burnt out."
This officer, who did not want to be named, said he was having to make tough decisions for his young family of four kids, including whether to spend money on gas or milk.
He said many of his colleagues were still being paid under the living wage.
Another community corrections worker and advocate said it was unfair that him and his colleagues were the lowest paid public servants, while having to deal with a highly stressful job.
"They face both physical abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse, to a very deep degree, and this takes a toll on their families, and everything in their whole lives, and [their] lifestyles," he said.
Corrections deputy national commissioner Brigid Kean said "We are continuing discussions with the PSA and it therefore wouldn't be appropriate for us to comment further on the bargaining process or outcomes at this time."
PSA said another strike was scheduled for next week.