Fairfax dispute spreads

Fairfax dispute spreads

The Fairfax newspapers dispute has spread to the Upper Hutt Leader.

Production staff at the Fairfax-owned community newspaper walked off the job at 9.30am today for three hours.

Staff at sister newspaper the Hutt News were involved in strikes on Friday and yesterday, and workers at Kapiti Observer and the Wairarapa News have given delegates a mandate to call industrial action.

All four papers are part of the Fairfax Central Community Newspapers group, which is offering staff a 3.2 per cent pay rise.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that the workers were seeking a five per cent pay rise.

“They have been in talks with the company since June 24, and have presented managers with a petition calling for a fair pay rise, but the company doesn’t seem to be listening,” he said.

“It seems that industrial action is the only way in which these workers can make themselves heard.”

Fairfax is an Australian-based publishing company which owns several New Zealand publications, including the DominionPost in Wellington, the Waikato Times in Hamilton and The Press in Christchurch

ENDS

© Scoop Media