Steel workers strike over pay

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

E tū union members at BlueScope Pacific Steel in Auckland are set to strike for another full day.

The workers will go on strike for 24 hours from 7am Wednesday morning in protest over six months of stalled pay talks.

The strike affects about 120 members at Pacific Steel's rolling mill and wire mill.

Another 750 union members from BlueScope's NZ Steel mill at Glenbrook will strike for 12 hours. 

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The company has been approached for comment.

Union members voted to strike over the pay offers BlueScope presented to its workers in New Zealand and Australia, where BlueScope members in Port Kembla have begun rolling strike action.

E tū industry co-ordinator Joe Gallagher said BlueScope refused to budge on its offer, despite posting a profit of A$1.6 billion (NZ$1.74b) this year.

BlueScope's New Zealand companies lifted earnings by 80 per cent - the highest return in the business.

'While our government is committed to lifting wages, internationally employers are coordinating a strategy to hold wages down,' he said.

'There is a clear and growing trend of top multi-national companies presenting low pay offers, despite big profits. We're seeing this in the mining sector, with the low-ball offer to our members at OceanaGold, and other sectors are sending the same message.'

At NZ Steel, workers had a pay rise of 1 per cent over the past two years and also gave up their bonuses. 

'Fair's fair,' Gallagher said. 'It's time to give back to the workers who took a hit when times were tough. This is hot, dirty and hazardous work and yes, our members get paid for that.

'But this is a dispute about a company that's delivered an eye-watering profit and thinking it's ok to offer a mean-spirited pay rise to its highly skilled steel workers. It isn't.'