Media releases

Rio Tinto appeal disappointing

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU is disappointed at Rio Tinto's decision to appeal an Employment Relations Authority ruling requiring the company to pay workers back for leave it owes them but has never paid.

The case centred around Rio Tinto subsidiary New Zealand Aluminium Smelters' decision to pay workers eight hours' leave in lieu of a public holiday, despite the fact employees worked standard twelve hour shifts.

EPMU general counsel Greg Lloyd says the appeal is disappointing.

"The Authority was very clear that Rio Tinto has failed to pay its employees their full legal entitlements over a number of years. We believe the time has come for the company to simply pay its workers what they are owed.

"New Zealanders understand that when you rack up a bill you have to pay it back. It should be no different for Rio Tinto or any other company."

Mr Lloyd says the union rejects claims the company cannot afford to pay what it owes.

"Rio Tinto is a large company facing many challenges, but it is nonsense to claim the calculation of lieu days will have any material impact on the future of the Tiwai Point smelter."

A copy of the Authority's decision can be found at:
http://www.epmu.org.nz/assets/Legal/lieu-day-decision.pdf

ENDS

For more information contact:

Greg Lloyd, EPMU general counsel: 027 591 0500
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

EPMU wins Tiwai Point leave case

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +1200

Workers at the Tiwai Point smelter are owed back pay from their employer for annual leave they were legally entitled to but never received, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled.

The case was taken by the workers' union, the EPMU, and centred on management's decision to interpret a day's leave in lieu of a public holiday as meaning eight hours' leave, despite the fact employees worked standard twelve hour shifts.

The Authority rejected the company's argument and ruled the workers were legally entitled to twelve hours' leave in lieu of a public holiday under their employment agreements.

EPMU director of organising Alan Clarence says the decision is great news for workers at Tiwai Point.

"The Authority's decision means workers will finally receive the full legal entitlements set out in their employment agreements.

"Workers had raised this issue with the company repeatedly over the last two decades, but they were ignored until they collectively joined the union and were able to take a case.

"This is a great example of collective action getting results."

A copy of the Authority's decision can be found at:
http://www.epmu.org.nz/assets/Legal/lieu-day-decision.pdf

ENDS

For more information contact:

Alan Clarence, EPMU director of organising: 027 548 2434
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

Workers encouraged to ‘Stand Up, Be Safe'

Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:00 +1200

Workers are being encouraged to stand up and be safe at work in a new union campaign to ensure they come home to their families free from injury or illness.

The ‘Stand Up, Be Safe' campaign is organised by the EPMU, which represents workers in some of New Zealand's most hazardous industries.

The union is holding meetings at manufacturing firms all over New Zealand encouraging workers to get organised on health and safety, regardless of whether they are union members or not.

EPMU health and safety coordinator Fritz Drissner says the campaign comes amid growing awareness of the need to reduce New Zealand's appalling rate of workplace deaths, injuries and illness.

"Both the Pike River Royal Commission and the Health & Safety Taskforce are clear that New Zealand's workplace health and safety regime is woefully inadequate and needs major reform.

"These reports also make clear that workers need to have a stronger voice on health and safety if we're going to reduce our rate of workplace harm.

"Stand Up, Be Safe is about putting that into action by making sure workers know their rights and feel confident speaking up. We're encouraging workers to set up workplace health and safety committees, elect their own health and safety reps and say no to unsafe work.

"Workers and employers also need to work together to create a ‘no blame' culture. The fear factor needs to be removed in health and safety to encourage workers to report incidents and dangerous occurrences.

"Strengthening our laws and regulations is necessary but by itself it won't be enough. We need to change the culture if we're going to make our workplaces safe."

Around 100 New Zealanders die at work every year, the equivalent of three Pike Rivers. Another 500 to 800 people die prematurely each year because of occupational illness.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Fritz Drissner, EPMU health and safety coordinator: 027 590 5086
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

NZ Post is a public service, not a cash cow

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 +1200

New Zealand Post is a vital public service and there is no justification for reducing mail delivery to three days a week, says the union for postal workers, the EPMU.

The call follows claims from NZ Post that it would need Government subsidies unless it is allowed to slash mail delivery services in half.

EPMU national industry organiser Joe Gallagher says there is no need for drastic cuts to delivery.

"Any talk about subsidies at this stage is pure speculation and scaremongering. NZ Post is actually returning a profit and will continue to do so for some time even without any changes.

"We recognise NZ Post faces serious commercial pressures, but current mail volumes do not justify the drastic and damaging cuts that are being proposed. This proposal only makes sense if you believe NZ Post exists purely to return a profit.

"NZ Post is not a cash cow for the Government. It is a vital public service and any move to reduce its social obligations will face resistance from the Kiwis who rely on it to stay connected with their families, their communities and their customers.

"We are calling on the Government to listen to communities, keep NZ Post's social obligations in place and commit to wider public consultation on any future changes."

The EPMU's submission to MBIE over changes to the Deed of Understanding is available at: http://www.epmu.org.nz/assets/Post/EPMU-Submission-NZ-Post-2013.pdf

A selection of quotes from the more than 250 public submissions received by the EPMU is available at: http://www.epmu.org.nz/assets/Post/Public-submissions.pdf

ENDS

For more information contact:

Joe Gallagher, EPMU postal industry organiser: 027 591 0015
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

EPMU welcomes Health & Safety Taskforce report

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union has welcomed the report of the Health & Safety Taskforce and is urging the Government to implement it in full.

The report recommends a new standalone crown agency dedicated to health and safety, a new workplace health and safety Act based on international best practice, increased worker participation and action to create a more positive health and safety culture.

"This is a groundbreaking report and the Taskforce deserves to be congratulated for its courage and vision," says EPMU assistant national secretary Ged O'Connell.

"The report is clear that the period of deregulation in the 1980s and ‘90s has made New Zealand's workplaces less safe and contributed to our appalling rate of workplace deaths and injuries.

"The Pike River tragedy is the most shocking example of this, but the reality is the number of workplace deaths in New Zealand is equivalent to two or three Pike Rivers every year.

"This report provides compelling evidence that health and safety in this country needs a major overhaul, and that means strengthening the law, giving workers more voice and properly resourcing our health and safety regime.

"We are confident that these recommendations, if implemented, would have a dramatic effect on workplace health and safety in New Zealand."

The EPMU represents workers in some of New Zealand's most dangerous industries, including mining, construction and manufacturing.

The union is currently running ‘Stand Up, Be Safe' meetings across New Zealand setting up workplace health and safety committees and educating workers about their right to a safe workplace.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Ged O'Connell, EPMU assistant national secretary: 027 532 8152
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

National’s employment changes will cut Kiwis’ pay

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

National's proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act will cut the pay of every working New Zealander, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

The changes allow employers to refuse to settle a collective agreement, opt out of industry agreements in order to undercut their competitors on wages, pay new workers less than the rate in the collective agreement and deny workers meal and rest breaks.

The Bill also removes the protections that guarantee some vulnerable workers their wages and conditions if a new employer takes over their contract.

EPMU national secretary Bill Newson says the changes are a radical attack on the right of Kiwi workers to negotiate for better wages and conditions.

"This is a charter for bad employers and its effect will be to lower the wages of all New Zealanders.

"National is trying its best to paint these changes as technical but workers won't be fooled. This is a return to the failed Employment Contracts Act of the 1990s that led to an unprecedented drop in Kiwis' wages and created the wage gap with Australia.

"These changes are a sign of National's failure to create jobs, lift wages and grow the economy. On every count this Government has failed and now it is making working families pay the price.

"New Zealand's union movement stands for fair employment laws that give all workers a living wage, safer workplaces and a say over their working conditions. These changes take New Zealand in exactly the wrong direction and our union will campaign to stop them."

ENDS

For more information contact:

Bill Newson, EPMU national secretary: 027 538 4246
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

Government should Buy Kiwi Made

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

The Government's new procurement guidelines are a missed opportunity to support New Zealand manufacturing, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

The new guidelines help to simplify the tender process and require Government contracts to consider the ‘whole of life' value of large contracts, but fail to require any preference or support for New Zealand-made goods and services.

EPMU director of organising Rachel Mackintosh says the guidelines are a missed opportunity to support Kiwi jobs.

"While there are some small steps in the right direction, the fact is these new guidelines will do nothing to address the crisis in our manufacturing sector or to support Kiwi jobs.

"Government agencies spending public money should be looking at the wider public interest, including the impact their choice of supplier will have on New Zealand industry, our skill base and on jobs.

"The case of the Hillside workshops shows it makes no sense to support short-term savings on an overseas contract if it means destroying a viable local industry and throwing large numbers of skilled workers onto the dole queue.

"The governments of Australia and the United States recognise the importance of good procurement policies as part of a strategy for manufacturing and jobs. It's time ours did too."

In the last year New Zealand's manufacturing sector has lost 17,000 jobs.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Rachel Mackintosh, EPMU director of organising: 027 543 7943
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

Mercer Stainless workers strike to protect conditions

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

Workers at Mercer Stainless have walked off the job today in protest against management attempts to slash their redundancy entitlements and annual leave.

The strike began at 12pm and will continue for the rest of the day, effectively halting production at the company's Christchurch and New Plymouth plants. Workers will return to work in good faith tomorrow, subject to an indefinite overtime ban.

EPMU director of organising Alan Clarence says strike action is always a last resort, but the company's behaviour means workers have been left with no other option.

"This is quite simply a case of a profitable company trying to boost its margins by cutting its workers' most basic entitlements to redundancy and annual leave.

"We've been trying to talk sense with the company since October last year and even went to mediation and came to an agreement, but the company went back on that too. This is just grasping and opportunistic behaviour and our members have had enough.

"Our members don't want to take strike action but they're determined not to be pushed around. Management would be wise to drop this misguided attack and come back to the negotiating table in good faith."

Mercer Stainless produces a range of stainless steel products for domestic and industrial use.

The EPMU represents 75 workers at Mercer Stainless.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Alan Clarence, EPMU director of organising: 027 548 2434
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146

EPMU Media Freedom Debate - Thursday 9 May, Wellington

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU Media Freedom Debate will be held on Thursday, May 9, at the Backbencher Pub in Wellington. Doors open at 5pm for dinner and drinks and the debate itself will start about 7.30pm.

The moot: That you can trust a blogger, a lobbyist and a journalist, but not a politician.

The Knuckleheads

David Farrar, blogger
Chris Bishop, lobbyist
Andrea Vance, journalist

The Politicians

Annette King, Labour
Tau Henare, National
Grant Robertson, Labour

TV3's political editor Patrick Gower will chair the debate.

Tickets cost $25.

The money raised goes to the Media Safety and Solidarity Fund which provides support to journalists and other media workers under threat in the Asia-Pacific region. Just a month ago three Pakistani journalists were murdered in a single day.

Some of the specific projects it funds include paying for the education costs of about 100 children of media workers murdered in the Philippines, paying the education costs of about 20 children of media workers murdered in Nepal and helping to fund a media freedom campaign in China.

It has also made contributions to help media workers affected by the floods in Pakistan, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Christchurch earthquake.

Tickets available from Brent Edwards at brent.edwards@radionz.co.nz or 04 817 9564

Court should throw the book at Pike River Coal

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU has welcomed the Greymouth District Court's decision to find Pike River Coal Ltd guilty of serious health and safety breaches and is calling for the sentencing judge to impose the maximum penalty.

EPMU assistant national secretary Ged O'Connell says the sentencing judge should throw the book at Pike River Coal.

"It's a matter of public record that the people running Pike River Coal put production over the safety of their workforce, leading directly to the deaths of 29 men.

"This is the most serious breach of our workplace health and safety laws in at least a generation and the sentence must reflect the gravity of the crime. We would expect to see no less than the maximum fine levelled, as well as reparations for the families of the 29 miners."

Mr O'Connell says the case also shows the need for changes to the law.

"The reality is Pike River Coal is now little more than a shell company that's now in receivership. The accountability must lie with the directors and management who actually made the decisions.

"Pike River Coal's directors should not be able to hide behind shabby legal structures and carry on as if nothing ever happened. It's time we had corporate manslaughter laws and personal liability for directors so we can hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

"New Zealand's miners and their families also need to see the recommendations of the Pike River Royal Commission implemented as soon as possible and we encourage the Government to carry on its good work putting this into action."

ENDS

For more information contact:

Ged O'Connell, EPMU assistant national secretary: 027 532 8152
Neale Jones, EPMU communications director: 027 276 5146