PSA refuses new conciliatory offer [1]
Friday, August 26, 2005 - 20:00. Updated on Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 21:43.
by Pesi Fonua
Although the Tonga government this evening conceded to provide an interim salary scale and to provide a lump sum of money for independently adjudicated salary rises, the PSA has again refused to return to the negotiating table.
This evening at a general Public Servants Association meeting at the National Council of Churches conference hall, Vaololoa, they threw out a formula for a return to work, including a mediation period of two weeks and a binding arbitration.
The PSA's rejection of this new proposal from the Tongan government means there is no end in sight to a strike by Civil Servants that entered its sixth week today and is slowly paralyzing the country.
The government had hoped today's proposal would get them back to the negotiation table, and would give Judge Tom Goddard, who arrived with a team from New Zealand on Wednesday night, a chance to mediate a settlement to end the strike.
The visit to Tonga by Judge Goddard and three others is funded by the New Zealand government.
This latest proposal by Tongan government followed along a line of thought that was raised by the PSA, for a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed before they return to work, and for an arbitration process to be carried out independently, and for an interim salary scale.
Three elements
The government is proposing an agreement with three elements:
"1. a formula for a return to work,
2. a mediation period of two weeks,
3. a binding arbitration on the public sector pay scale in the event that mediation is not successful."
The broad contents of a formula for a return to work were stated as:
"a. for the period of two weeks, all public servants will be paid on the same interim scale.
b. that interim scale will be the revised scale already implemented, plus the government will make available to the Mediator a lump sum as an "investment payment" (which will broadly reflect a total sum along the lines as proposed by the strike committee above the old scale, for that defined period).
c. The actual payment of that sum will be done on a formula set by Judge Goddard to reflect a fair process by which public servants do not go down in pay, but it is not necessarily the case that all public servants will get an increase (because some already have increases in excess of the 60-70-80 proposals).
d. Striking workers will return to work on this basis, but there will be no penalty or disadvantage over the period ahead as a result of the strike."
Two weeks mediation
The broad contents of a formula for mediation over two weeks"
"a. There will be negotiations in good faith over all elements related to the strike.
b. It may be possible to assist those negotiations by experts or other assistance as agreed by the parties.
c. the goal of the mediation would be to seek mutual agreement on a full settlement of issues, including particularly the revised pay scale to be implemented as from day 15.
d. Those persons acting as negotiators during the negotiation will be allowed time off on full pay to do so."
Binding arbitration
The broad contents of binding arbitration if no agreement is reached through mediation:
"a. This will be concerned only with setting a new revised pay scale for the public sector.
b. The arbitration will take account of a clear set of relevant criteria, including for example, fairness to employees and to the Government and taxpayers of Tonga.
c. The terms will be binding on all parties and enforceable in the courts of Tonga.
d. It may be useful to expand the arbitration to a panel as may be agreed by the parties."