Protest punctuates opening of new Hastings Courthouse

About 30 Hastings court staff protested outside of the new Hastings Courthouse yesterday shortly before it was officially opened by Justice Minister Simon Power .
Staff from the Hastings District Court and Maori Land Court, based in Hastings, waved placards and chanted, ``MOJ (Ministry of Justice] - Why won't you pay?''
Talks between the Justice Ministry and the union that represents most court staff, the Public Service Association (PSA), have broken down and the union is threatening strike action next week. PSA members began working to rule on Wednesday, refusing to work unpaid overtime.
The PSA claims court staff are underpaid compared with other workers in the public sector by an average of 6.3 per cent. The ministry says the union's demands are unaffordable and would cost more than $100 million over three years.
PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff said that was a ``misrepresentation'' of their position. ``The $100 million figure has come from the Ministry of Justice, not the PSA,'' he said. ``The ministry said to address that level of underpayment it would cost at least $100 million over three years. The PSA has not put a figure on how much it is seeking in a pay rise for the 1700 justice staff it represents.''
The PSA had been trying to negotiate for 3 1/2 months on how to close the pay gap between court staff and other public service workers.
A ministry spokesman said plans were in place in case of a strike and services would be maintained.
The court staff protested for 30 minutes and then joined officials and dignitaries inside for the opening ceremony. The protest had originally been planned to coincide with a speech by Mr Power.
PSA organiser Lindsay Lock said some of the staff performed a waiata inside the courthouse.
Former courts minister and Hastings-based Labour List MP Rick Barker said he agreed court staff deserved a pay rise. ``The staff here work bloody hard in difficult conditions and are certainly entitled to a pay rise. There is nothing more difficult than running a court.''
Mr Power refused to comment.