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17 December 2010

Workers at Scott Technology strike in support of pay claim

Forty workers in the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) at Scott Technology in Christchurch walked off the job this morning after unanimously rejecting the company’s offer in pay talks and voting to implement an overtime ban.

The Christchurch workers are claiming a backdated 3.5% wage increase over one year after the company announced a ten-fold increase in profits over the last financial year.

The company offered a two year pay increase in three increments of 2% out to April 2012 that was not backdated to the expiry of the current collective agreement on 6 December 2010.

“This is an employer that is doing well and can afford a decent pay rise at a time when pressures on households could not be greater and are expected to get worse,” says EPMU organiser John Kaye.

“The company’s offer wouldn’t even keep up with the impact of inflation and in the current circumstances is just plain miserable, especially when it is being very bullish in the media about their future prospects.”

“Workers at Scott Technology’s Dunedin branch immediately voted to support their fellow union members and have also voted to impose an overtime ban.”

“The company has come through some tough times recently and workers have paid for that with redundancies. Now that things are looking up our members are asking for a fair share.”

ENDS

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