Industrial Action at Fairfax - Journalists Strike

Industrial action at Fairfax

Industrial action is under way at 13 Fairfax-owned newspapers in Auckland and Wellington.

Journalists and circulation workers are picketing the Suburban Newspapers headquarters in Auckland, while workers at the chain’s Wellington community newspapers are into their second day of strike action.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that the 3.5 per cent pay offer on the table for all workers was not good enough.

“These workers are seeking a five per cent pay rise, which is entirely reasonable in the current climate,” he said.

“This is a company that can afford to pay its new chief executive, David Kirk, $1.5 million just to sign the contract, so surely it can afford to pay its staff a decent pay rise.”

About 75 workers from the North Shore Times, Central Leader, Western Leader, Manukau Courier, Papakura Courier, East and Bays Courier, Eastern Courier, Norwest News Brief and the North Harbour News in Auckland, and the Hutt News, Upper Hutt Leader, Kapi-Mana News and Kapiti Observer in Wellington are involved in the action.

Mr Little said that it was likely that negotiations would resume at the Wellington papers today.

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