The Ministry of Justice says court staff would have been able to receive a pay rise if their union had put its offer to members.
The ministry's comments come after the Public Service Association said the pay increase awarded to judges was in stark contrast to the zero offer to court workers by the Justice Ministry.
The Remuneration Authority has increased judges' pay by between 1.2% and 1.3%.
The raise takes the salary of Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, to $437,500 and the salaries of Supreme Court judges and the president of the Court of Appeal to $410,000.
Pointing out that judges got a 4.8% pay rise last year as well, PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott says that court workers won't begrudge judges the extra money, but that it will strengthen union members' resolve to bargain for a better deal.
General manager district courts Tony Fisher says the PSA chose not to put the ministry's offer to its members.
"The ministry's offer was a good one given the tough economic context," Mr Fisher says. "Exactly the same pay offer was this week accepted by the National Union of Public Employees."
Mr Fisher says media comment about workers being denied a pay rise is disingenuous. "We made such an offer which the PSA refused to put before its members."
