Nearly 3000 Auckland Council staff have sealed a long-negotiated pay deal that locks-in pay rises linked to inflation for the next two years, with additional holidays, and progress towards unlimited sick leave.
The deal applies to members of the Public Service Association (PSA) – which is the biggest union in the council – and is backdated to the start of August.
A key element is an existing agreement to tie pay rises to the Consumer Price Index rise in the last quarter of each year, meaning 5.9% from August 2022, and likely to be around 7% next year.
Union members will also get one-off payments of $350 in each year, and an additional day’s leave.
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The council has agreed to work on a programme to improve the position and development of Māori and Pasifika staff, including training better tailored to their learning styles.
That work includes an 18-month trial of a programme run by the council’s The Southern Initiative (TSI).
TSI and its western equivalent are at risk from proposed cost-cutting in next year’s council budget, which includes community-based and economic development spending.
Auckland Council/Supplied
Auckland Council staff in the PSA has clinched a two-year pay deal. (File photo)
The PSA is expecting a tough year in 2023, with most parts of the council charged in the budget process with finding cost savings amounting to $130 million – work which has yet to be revealed in any detail.
The agreement applies only to council staff, with PSA members for example at Auckland Transport, settling for a 5% rise, sealed in August.
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