Workers reject Metals pay offer

Workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject a final offer of a 3.2 per cent pay increase in the key Metals agreement.

Ballot around the country finished today with 95 per cent of workers at the 23 “original parties” companies voting to reject the offer.

They have told their union, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, to tell the employers that they want their claim for a “fair share” pay rise of 5 per cent met.

They have said that they will hold weekly stop-work meetings – paid or unpaid – while the dispute is unresolved.

The Metals and Manufacturing Industries Collective Agreement covers more than 2000 workers at more than 200 companies directly, and influences the wages and conditions of workers across the manufacturing sector.

Talks between the EPMU and the Northern Employers and Manufacturers’ Association in Auckland broke down on Thursday of last week when the employers made a final offer of 3.2 per cent.

The union is now contacting the employers to inform them of the workers’ rejection of that offer.

The current agreement expires on Monday.

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