Public Service Association Media Release
October 13 2006

TVNZ faces rolling industrial action which could have major impact on popular programmes

TVNZ staff voted today to begin a campaign of rolling industrial action involving more than 300 of the network’s employees. The action has the potential to disrupt many of the station’s highest profile shows, and comes after members of the PSA and EPMU rejected the latest collective bargaining offer by TVNZ.

TVNZ staff are seeking a 5% pay increase, maintenance of current leave parities and a single national agreement for all TVNZ sites.

Management have offered staff a guaranteed 1.75% increase.

At present TVNZ maintain separate collective agreements for staff in Auckland and at Avalon studios Wellington.

PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff said that the company needed to address the issue of pay for their operational employees.

“We have read in recent years of massive payments to certain TVNZ employees, but this seems to have been at the expense of workers at the cutting edge of TVNZ’s service delivery.

“The cost of living has risen 6.9% over the past 2 years, but in that time many of our members have received salary increases of less than half of that- effectively taking a pay cut in real terms. It is high time TVNZ addressed this issue and paid their staff a decent wage increase”

The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union representing over 55,000 public service workers in broadcasting, local and central government, health and community services. The PSA represents worker across the spectrum of TVNZ including presentation, producing, scheduling, administration and camera.

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