Proposed job cuts at the Department of Corrections in
response to the Government’s programme of cutting public
services will see a reduction in vital roles that support
Corrections Officers, Probation Officers, Case Managers and
managers do their jobs
well.
Corrections’ latest change
proposal would result in a net reduction of 49 roles in its
already stretched People and Capability, said Public Service
Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary
Fleur Fitzsimons.“The proposed cuts will reduce the
organisation’s ability to ensure its staff, who often work
in risky environments, are trained and developed and have
the right levels of health and safety and other support,”
Fitzsimons said.
The roles that are going
include positions in Health and Safety and Learning and
Development and capability building.
“All these
workers have important roles to play in ensuring Corrections
supports and retains its staff.
“The chain of cause
and effect is clear: these cuts will degrade the quality of
support to front-line staff. If front-line staff aren’t
getting the support they need, their jobs will be harder and
they’re more likely to leave. It’s going to impact the
services that Corrections staff can deliver now and in the
future. The impact of these cuts will be felt for years to
come.
“In the Government’s pursuit of cost savings
to fund tax relief for landlords there has been little
regard for how these proposed changes will negatively impact
frontline services, let alone ensuring New Zealand has an
effective Justice system.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“More, not less funding is
required to ensure that public services such as Corrections
can keep delivering for New Zealanders.
“One hand of
the Government doesn’t know what the other is doing. It
passes new sentencing laws to put people in prison for
longer, but it’s also happy to kneecap those helping keep
front-line staff safe and help them to do their job. This is
yet another example of the senselessness of this programme
of cuts,” Fitzsimons
said.
Notes
The
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing
and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central
government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health
boards and community
groups.
