Manufacturing workers plan major stopwork

Manufacturing workers plan major stopwork

Workers in the manufacturing sector are planning major stopwork meetings in protest at the breakdown of talks in the key Metals and Manufacturing Industries Collective Agreement.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union is warning that the collapse of talks in the Metals will affect bargaining in other areas.

Talks broke down last night after three days of intense negotiations between the EPMU and the Employers’ and Manufacturers’ Association.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little said that the union had already substantially modified its claim for a pay rise in an effort to reach a fair settlement, but the employers were refusing to come to the party.

“The amount they are offering is below the average wage settlement,” he said.

“The Metals is an important document which affects the wages and conditions of thousands of New Zealand workers. We are not going to accept a mean settlement.”

The union’s entire northern industrial staff met in Auckland today to plan an industrial response to the situation.

Mr Little said that stopwork meetings would begin on Monday at 43 of the companies covered by the Metals.

“We will also being issuing 14 days’ notice of major stopwork meetings involving our members from across the manufacturing sector,” he said.

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