Bradford Announces Extra Tribunal Member

Funding for an additional Employment Tribunal Member will be included in the 1999 Budget, Minister responsible for Labour, Hon Max Bradford announced today.

Mr Bradford said $157,000 had been allocated to fund the position to reduce waiting times for tribunal hearings in the lower North Island.

The new member would focus on mediation and adjudication work in Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, and Wanganui, where individual case backlogs and waiting times were longest.

The new member would dispose of approximately 200 cases a year and significantly reduce waiting times in these areas by up to four months, Mr Bradford said.