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6 February, 2006
In New Zealand, 58 members of Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union (EPMU) were suddenly locked out on 3 February by Top Energy, a community-owned electricity distributor. The linemen were seeking EPMU’s standard 5% wage hike, but have been met by unrealistic expectations from managers such as a 45-hour work-week without overtime.
“We have been negotiating for nearly six months, and have agreed to look at modernising the collective agreement, but we will not accept cuts to pay and conditions in an industry that's already relatively poorly paid and facing a severe labour shortage,” stated EPMU President Andrew Little to the New Zealand Press.
The company supplies power to customers in New Zealand’s North Island from Whangarei to the North Cape.