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26 February, 2007
At a kick-off rally on 21 February in New Plymouth, New Zealand, ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) launched its “FairShare ‘07” campaign, aimed at mobilising the union’s 50,000 members for 5% wage increases in this year’s round of collective bargaining.
“We’re telling employers that this year, we expect pay rises of 5% and we’re prepared to do what’s necessary to get it,” EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little told 1,000 EPMU members at the rally. Little said that with increased business confidence and a strengthening economy, there is no excuse for working New Zealanders to miss out on the economic good times.
The 2007 campaign is a repeat of the EPMU’s “FairShare ‘05” campaign, in which the union negotiated a total of 269 labour agreements – 85% of the total collective agreements negotiated then – with 5% wage gains.
As part of this year’s 5% drive, the union will be making claims for employer contributions into a workers’ savings plan. “One of the major changes to the employment landscape this year is the introduction of KiwiSaver and we’ll be taking employer contributions into account during our negotiations,” said Little.
KiwiSaver will become effective on 1 July, and the EPMU will bargain for a minimum 2% employer contribution to an individual worker’s account. The supplemental savings scheme allows workers to make either a 4% or 8% personal contribution of their gross taxable earnings, but currently there is no statutory requirement for employers to match a contribution.
Little also said superannuation will also be a key issue in this year’s bargaining.
EPMU, New Zealand’s largest union, again has the full support of the country’s Council of Trade Unions (CTU) in this year’s drive. “We need to see wages increased every year if we are to address both our significant social deficit and also the structural problem in our economy of low wages,” stated CTU President Ross Wilson, adding that on average, New Zealand wages lag 30% behind those in Australia.