Traffic officers to restrict duties

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 1

Traffic officers to restrict duties

Traffic officers will take industrial action for the first time in 14 years when they ban random stopping from Monday. The random stopping bah was one of five moves announced by the Public Service Association yesterday in response to the

breakdown in wage talks last Monday. Also banned are all driver and driver tutor testing, escorting wide loads, duties related to road-user charges, and point duty for special functions. The bans would begin

at 8 a.m. on Monday and' could continue until the employing authority began “meaningful negotiations,” said Mr John McKenzie, secretary of the Canterbury branch of the P.S.A. The last time traffic officers took industrial action was in early 1972. Then the officers wanted a wage increase to make up for increased duties and responsibilities. Mr Colin Feslier, vicepresident of the P.S.A., said yesterday that traffic officers’ anger was running at unprecedented levels. He identified two particular issues. “There is absolutely no recognition of the considerable list of new duties that have accrued since the last time their pay scales were specifically renewed,” he said. “Some of these new duties, such as random stopping, involve traffic officers in dangerous situations and we are already concerned about the rising assault rate?’

Mr Feslier also said that there appeared to be some conflict between the stated Government policy on enhancing traffic officers’ status and the willingness of the State Services Commission to break traditional pay rela-

tivity between the police and traffic officers. Traffic officers used to be paid on their present scale without having to do their new duties, and had therefore decided that the new duties would not be performed, said Mr Feslier.

Throughout the industrial action, safety would be taken into account at all times, he said. At the wage talks on Monday, the State Services Commission had offered the 15.5 per cent adjustment given to all public servants, plus a catch-up element of 4 to 5 per cent. Traffic officers’ representatives have said that it is not possible to put a specific percentage figure on their claim.