Strike at three Fairfax papers

August 22, 2005

Media Release

Strike at three Fairfax papers

Staff at three Wellington Fairfax newspapers are on strike this morning as their pay dispute escalates.

Three of the four newspapers in the company’s Capital Community Newspapers group – the Hutt News, the Upper Hutt Leader, and the Kapi-Mana News - have been hit by simultaneous strikes, and some 25 workers are picketing outside the Hutt News. Earlier strikes involved one paper at a time.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that the 3.2 per cent pay rise the company had offered the workers was laughable.

“That’s well below the going rate,” he said.

“Most workers are getting pay rises of at least five per cent this year, and we don’t see why these workers shouldn’t too.”

The picket is on the corner of Raroa Road and Cornwall St, Lower Hutt. The strike began at 8.30am and will end at 11.30am.

ENDS

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