Jail union faces bullying claim by Samoan staff

Newly recruited Samoan prison officers have been bullied and intimidated by union members who use them as pawns in pay negotiations, the Department of Corrections says.

Department chief executive Barry Matthews said an independent review was requested after allegations from the Corrections Association of New Zealand (the officers' union) that new Samoan recruits were being left without adequate support, falling prey to loan sharks and reliant on food banks. The union represents 60 per cent of prison officers.

Mr Matthews said yesterday that 43 recruits interviewed for the report were happy with support from Corrections and the recruitment had been "an overwhelming success".

The union had refused the department's requests for details about cases so claims could be investigated and had instead gone directly to the media, he said.

"The most distressing finding of the report was the pressure and intimidation to which many had been subjected by their workmates, who were union members.

"They were disappointed that they had been dragged through the media for someone else's gain, and used as pawns in Canz's battle with the department for a pay gain."

The report by Niu Vision Group said some recruits at Auckland's Mt Eden reported intimidation. Canz members had also put pressure on recruits to demand more entitlements, including a $4000 relocation allowance, the report said.

Mr Matthews said there was "an element of bullying" in the tactics, which was "totally unacceptable".

Corrections had written to the union with its concerns and any members found to have acted "unprofessionally" could face disciplinary action, he said.

The transition process was "not perfect" and there was room for improvement.

Many recruits reported financial problems connected with relocating and difficulties finding affordable accommodation, particularly in Auckland.

The starting salary for corrections officers was $34,000, rising to $36,000 after training.

Corrections was considering improving the settlement information package offered to new recruits arriving from overseas.

The union president, Beven Hanlon, said yesterday that his organisation was surprised that the department had ordered the independent review.

"One would have expected that if they were going to do a review into our conduct, they might have spoken to us at some stage," he said.

The report vindicated union claims by adopting its recommendations, such as providing better financial advice, support and assistance, as well as more money to arriving recruits.

The union did not accept the report's findings that it had used recruits for its own purposes.

Confusion had arisen over the relocation allowance because bus company Stagecoach had been recruiting in Samoa at the same time as the Corrections Department and had been offering a $4000 transfer package.

- NZPA