PSA is asking the Ministry of Justice for a pay rise of between 2 and 3 per cent and similar increases for what it calls a flawed performance pay system, and for workers transitioning across to a new pay scale.
PSA national secretary Glenn Barcley said the current stalemate was because the ministry took no concrete steps to bring to the table an improved pay offer to enable bargaining to resume.
The ministry's chief operating officer, Carl Crafar, said the government department was doing its best to minimise the impact of the industrial action on its customers and its people.
"The industrial action is sporadic and different from court to court. Managing the impacts at each of our sites resulted in a range of approaches to the 4.5 hour strike, including some courts continuing to operate fully, some offering only counter service and a number closing for the period.
"The ministry sought an injunction in the Employment Court against short-notice strikes because it considered taking strike action with only 30 minutes notice at crowded and busy courts to be unsafe and irresponsible," he said.
Crafar said the ministry has made a revised offer to the PSA and that it has a budget of 3 per cent of its annual salary bill for pay increases this year and 3 per cent for next year, which was consistent with other public service agencies.
The ministry, he said, has also offered an additional $750 one-off payment to PSA members for 2018.
"The PSA initially presented a pay claim which added up to more than 13 per cent during this period, more than double the ministry's budget. They have subsequently reduced their claim to 11 per cent."