Fisheries staff consider deal

Industrial action by 220 staff at the Ministry of Fisheries has been put on hold. Employees were due to walk off the job on Monday over their collective agreement, but one of the unions involved, the Public Service Association, has reached an eleventh hour agreement with the ministry. PSA secretary Richard Wagstaff says the deal now goes to workers for their approval. He says while Monday's strike has been suspended, the action will only be formally cancelled when staff accept a deal. Employees covered by the collective contract include fishery officers, investigators, scientists and administration staff. The PSA and NUPE have been negotiating with the Ministry of Fisheries for a new collective agreement, since September last year. The two weeks of industrial action would have involved 24 hour strikes. Share this... [read full story]