Media releases

EPMU and Vector Taranaki agree 10% pay rise

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1200

Members of the EPMU at Vector Taranaki's Kapuni Gas Treatment Plant have agreed a ten percent pay rise over the next two years.

"EPMU members at Vector Taranaki's Kapuni Gas Treatment Plant ratified an agreement over the weekend for a ten percent pay rise over two years," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"The pay rise is back-dated to 1 May and includes an increase of six percent to 30th October 2011 followed by a further increase of four percent to 30th April 2012," he says.

"A ten percent pay rise over the next two years is well above the current national average annual pay rise of 1.6%," he says.

"This is a good outcome for EPMU members, highlighting the financial benefits of belonging to a union collective agreement," he says.

"A pay rise of ten percent over two years is welcome at a time when prices are rising and the Government is hiking GST, both of which hit workers' pay packets."

"Increasing pay is a better way to close the wage gap with Australia than fiddling with the tax system."

The settlement also includes agreement to establish a joint working party comprising union representatives and production leaders to facilitate collaborative training programmes, Best Practice initiatives and to ensure shift work requirements do not place too great a burden on workers covering for colleagues.

Submissions on law to remove work rights close in 10 days

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The deadline for making comments on the government's law changes that will take away longstanding employment rights is only 10 days away, and the EPMU is asking as many members as possible to have their say.

"When this government passed the first law bringing in the 90-day no rights period for small businesses they didn't even give people a chance to have a say. Now they're giving us a chance to have say but it's only a brief period," national secretary Andrew Little says.

The government has tabled new laws for debate in Parliament that will take away hard won work rights and give all employers the right to fire new workers within 90 days, regardless of their performance, and without any right of appeal or redress.

The new laws will also change the fair dismissal rights for every employee by making it harder to challenge unfair dismissal in court.

The government also wants to give employers the right to require you to get a medical certificate every time you take just one day of sick leave.

This unnecessary rule change will clog up doctors' surgeries and mean more people will go to work when they're sick.

On top of all this they want to obstruct union access and make collective bargaining harder.

"Be under no illusion: these law changes are about making it harder to belong to a union and to uphold fairness rights at work, plain and simple."

With only 10 days left until the closing date of 13 September you can make your voice heard by making a submission online here or by printing and posting one from here

Hercules upgrade announcement welcome

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU welcomes today's news that the Government and L3 Communications have reached agreement on completing the Air Force's C130 Hercules aircraft Life Extension Programme in New Zealand.

"This is welcome news, especially for the Blenheim community where 92 skilled workers were laid off at SafeAir's Woodbourne base earlier in the year," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"With so many workers made redundant by SafeAir this year, the Government should be under no illusion as to how hard it will be to recruit the skilled workers now needed to do the job," he says.

"Recruiting a team of skilled workers will be a major challenge because the workers that were laid off are now scattered around the country and overseas."

"The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union is keen to work with the Government on this and to ensure all the work is done here in New Zealand."

The EPMU represents aviation engineering members at SafeAir, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand.

EPMU and HWE Mining settle on 11.6% pay rise

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The long-running dispute between striking Waihi gold miners and HWE Mining Pty Ltd was settled today with 55 miners in the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) winning a pay increase of 11.6% over the next three years.

The settlement, which follows a period of strike action at the Favona Decline mine, was ratified today by EPMU members after mediation between the union and the company in Tauranga with the Department of Labour.

The settlement is back-dated to 8 May and includes pay increases of 4% in 2010, 4% in 2011 and 3.5% in 2012.

EPMU members also receive an up front payment of up to $750 (based on length of service) and an increase in redundancy compensation benefits from the current maximum payment of 6 weeks' pay to 9 weeks' pay in 2012.

"A pay rise of approximately 4% per year over the next three years is well above the current national average annual pay rise of 1.6%," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"This is a good outcome for EPMU members, highlighting the clear financial benefits of belonging to a union collective agreement," he says.

"A pay rise of 11.6% over three years and the up front payment for union members are welcome at a time when prices are rising and the Government is hiking GST, both of which hit workers' pay packets."

The EPMU represents 1200 workers in gold and coal mining in New Zealand.

+ Unions and the wage gap with Australia - Morning Report

Fairness at Work rallies tomorrow and Sunday

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU is urging all members to attend the CTU Fairness at Work rallies in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch tomorrow, Saturday 21 August, and in Dunedin on Sunday 22 August.

The rallies are the first step in a public campaign opposing the government's plans to extend the 90-day 'Fire at Will' law to all employers and related changes that weaken work rights

The Auckland rally starts 1pm at the bottom of Queen Street, outside Britomart.

The Christchurch rally starts 1pm in Cathedral Square.
The Wellington rally starts 1pm in Civic Square.

The Dunedin event starts in Great King Street (outside Dental School) at 11am with a march to the Octagon where the rally starts at 11.30am.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says the rallies are an important part of the campaign to defeat the government's unjust employment laws introduced to Parliament this week.

"These law changes aren't about making working life fairer or even making business performance better. They're just a crude appeal to the nasty side of bad employers," he says.

"The challenge for New Zealand is to raise incomes, and these law changes, if they are allowed to pass, will do the opposite."

"It's simple - we need to stop them. And we need as many people out on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 August to do so."

New report pointing the way on prosperity, 'breath of fresh air'

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

New Zealand must respond seriously and meaningfully to the New Zealand Institute report "A Goal is not a Strategy" which was released today if we are to raise incomes and living standards, says the largest private sector union, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

The New Zealand Institute report draws attention to the lack of government commitment over many years to fostering the development of a manufacturing sector focused on sophisticated manufactures with high margins that are easy to transport. It says this should be done without compromising our commitment to our thriving primary production sector.

"The new report is a welcome breath of fresh air to an economic debate for so long dominated by the view that there is little the government can and should do apart from letting the so-called market decide," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"There is no question that the principal challenge facing us, if we wish to maintain our place in the developed world, is to change the mix of our economic activity to business that is much more capital intensive, that has scale and requires a skilled workforce employed under good conditions," he says.

"A genuine emphasis on the right kind of manufacturing activity through good government policy is just the sort of intervention we need and we shouldn't be diverted from this direction by meaningless calls for more free market."

"The only measure of a country's economic success is how its people are doing and the fact is that on average New Zealand wage and salary earners have been going backwards for far too long."

"Something needs to change and the New Zealand Institute report points us in a useful direction. We should take it seriously."

+ read more

No fairness in law changes that take away work rights

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

There is nothing fair about the Government's proposed employment law changes which were debated last week for the first time in Parliament.

"The proposed changes are all about taking away rights from working New Zealanders, not making work life better," said EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"The recent rise in unemployment shows the existing 90 day ‘fire at will' law has not helped employment," he said.

"The proposals would allow employers to refuse union access to workplaces, undermining the freedom of choice workers currently have to belong to a union. A natural consequence of belonging to a union is that workers have access to union advice and support in the workplace when they need it, not when the employer concedes to it," he said.

"The proposed requirements for workers to obtain a medical certificate after a single day of sick leave or family leave are impractical and onerous."

"Taken together the proposed changes are unjust and will make work less fair and less rewarding for all workers, which is why the EPMU will oppose them."

The EPMU is also urging members to make a submission on the proposed law changes:

+ make an online submission

+ make a postal submission

Pacific Blue departure will cost jobs

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The departure of Pacific Blue from New Zealand domestic routes could cause the loss of up to 200 jobs says the country's largest aviation sector union, the Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

Pacific Blue announced today it will pull out of domestic services in New Zealand in mid-October and increase the number of trans-Tasman flights by five per week.

"In addition to their own staff Pacific Blue is dependant on a number of other service providers and suppliers who will have to scale back their operations because of the loss of domestic work and this will inevitably mean job losses," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"The EPMU represents nearly 90 ground staff in Auckland and Wellington who work for Menzies Aviation and whose jobs will be affected. There's another 30 or 40 ground staff in Christchurch who will be affected and obviously some of the cabin crew flying domestically will be affected," he says.

"The attempt by Pacific Blue to cover up the true impact of their withdrawal from domestic services by saying they would create new jobs is just crass as it's clear the opposite will happen."

"Once again, a large number of kiwi workers will pay the price of proving that our domestic aviation market cannot sustain three airlines on the main routes."

"It's bad enough that many paid the price by taking low wage jobs for a low service/low cost airline with the promise by Sir Richard Branson of a great future, and now they're paying twice with the loss of their jobs."

"The union will work constructively with relevant employers to ensure the affected workers are treated fairly and decently and we will work with the industry to see if there are other opportunities to pick up these valuable aviation staff."

The EPMU represents around 5,000 aviation personnel across New Zealand working as ground staff, aircraft engineers, cabin crew, catering staff and technical support staff.

New video promotes Fairness at Work campaign

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The union-wide "Fairness at Work" campaign has stepped up a notch with the release of a new video promoting the campaign message on "You Tube" yesterday.

The two minute video tells the story of Heather Smith, a worker sacked unfairly under the government's "Fire at Will" law, and was showcased on television news.

Her story shows that anyone can be the victim of unfair dismissal under the "Fire at Will" law. In the video, she explains how she was employed at a pharmacy without a problem for almost three years until new owners took over, forcing her to sign a new contract which contained a "90 day" clause. Within weeks of this she was sacked.

She didn't think at the time the clause would affect her, but it did. Many other people will suffer like her if this law is extended to employees in all firms, as the government now proposes to do.

Please watch the video and forward it to workmates, family and friends.

+ click here

Fairness at Work rallies on 21 & 22 August

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The EPMU is urging all members to attend the CTU Fairness at Work rallies in the main centres on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 August. The rallies are the first step in a public campaign opposing the government's plans to extend the 90 day 'Fire at Will' law to all firms and related changes that weaken work rights.

Three rallies will be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on Saturday 21 August and one in Dunedin on Sunday 22 August.

The Auckland rally starts 1pm at the bottom of Queen Street, outside Britomart.

The Christchurch rally starts 1pm in Cathedral Square.

The Wellington rally starts 1pm in Civic Square.

The Dunedin event starts in Great King Street (outside Dental School) at 11am with a march to the Octagon where the rally starts at 11.30am.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says the rallies are an important part of the campaign to defeat the government's unjust employment laws.

"These law changes aren't about making working life fairer or even making business performance better. They're just a crude appeal to the nasty side of bad employers," he says.

"The challenge for New Zealand is to raise incomes, and these law changes, if they are allowed to pass, will do the opposite."

+ read more on the 'Fire at Will' law