MSD staff walk off the job due to 'unsafe' office

Checkpoint

More than a dozen Ministry of Social Development staff have walked off the job, refusing to return to what they say is an unsafe office with ''strong mould and sewerage smell'. Staff in the ministry's Thames office walked out of the office on Monday, leaving more than 10,000 clients without a face-to-face service. The office was supposed to be a temporary space, after MSD closed its main office in November 2023 due to damage. The Public Service Association has now issued MSD with a Provisional Improvement Notice under the Health and Safety at Work Act, which requires the employer to address concerns about health and safety. MSD has re-deployed staff to Paeroa which is 33km away and has upset community leaders. Thames Community Board chairman Adrian Catran spoke to Lisa Owen.