TVNZ staff furious over Bailey affair

Television New Zealand staff who got a pay rise of just 1.5 per cent this year are promising a “full-frontal attack” in the wake of news reader Judy Bailey’s 77 per cent rise.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said that the decision to almost double Bailey’s salary to $800,000 a year called into question the credibility of the state broadcasters’ managers and board.

“If one person is worth a 77 per cent pay rise, then everybody is,” he said.

“A high-quality news bulletin requires the best possible performance from all people involved whether they are producers, technicians, reporting and editing staff or newsreaders. It is not possible to single out one person as justifying lavish remuneration when everybody involved creates the excellent broadcast.

“The conduct of the management and board of TVNZ utterly discredits their remuneration policy, and they should expect it to come under full-frontal attack in the next agreement negotiations due in 2006”.

Staff at TVNZ this year won a 1.5 per cent pay rise, plus a further discretionary performance component. They will get another 1.75 per cent rise in July next year.

The EPMU has 200 members at TVNZ, working in security, sound, camera, editing, technical management, presentation, graphics, studio engineering, news, current affairs and Maori and Pasefika programmes.

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