Photo: Craig BaxterThe Ministry of Justice spent nearly $100,000 resolving last year's pay dispute with court staff, documents show. Mr Crafar said it was due to the high proportion of security officers who participated in the industrial action. "There is a minimum number of security officers required to be on site for the ministry to provide a safe service." The gruelling disputes resulted in the Ministry of Justice incurring legal fees of $43,762, which also included an ill-fated trip to the Employment Court. Mr Crafar said the funds to cover costs associated with the contract negotiations and industrial action came from the ministry's baseline budget.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 06, 2019 15:32 UTC