Toilet paper shortage looming after employees locked out in pay disagreement, union says

Wednesday, 24 August 2022

Could another toilet paper shortage be on the horizon? (File photo)

Industrial action at a toilet paper manufacturer could lead to a shortage of supply, a union has warned.

Pulp and Paper Union Kawerau secretary Tane Phillip said supplies could dwindle because 145 workers had been locked out indefinitely without pay at Kawerau’s Essity mill, the manufacturer of Purex toilet paper.

“There are no operations happening in the paper machines, the warehouse or the converting which is where they roll the paper,” he told Radio NZ.

”I have been into some supermarkets and I have seen them limiting the amount of toilet paper already.”

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The plant is the only place that produces toilet paper in New Zealand, while everything else is imported.

Essity has been approached for comment.

Workers at the Kawerau manufacturing plant have been locked out since August 9, after they called for an inflation adjustment to their pay as part of collective employment agreement negotiations.

Workers at the Kawerau manufacturing plant had been locked out since August 9, after they called for an inflation adjustment to their pay as part of collective employment agreement negotiations.

The annual rate of inflation hit 7.3% in the June quarter.

The company had offered a 3% pay rise plus a cash incentive of $1500 per year over three years.

Essity’s brands in New Zealand include Purex, Handee, Sorbent, Libra and Tork.

A spokesperson for the Countdown supermarket chain said Essity had been in contact regarding the industrial action.

“We are working closely with them and our other supply partners to ensure we have enough toilet paper supply for everyone to get what they need. At this stage, we don’t have any concerns about a possible shortage,” she said.

The Foodstuffs supermarket group has also been approached for comment.

Toilet paper supply has been a major concern for some supermarket shoppers in recent years.

The 2020 lockdown prompted some people to stockpile supplies and last year ongoing Covid disruptions caused problems.

The cost of manufacturing toilet paper, which is made from two different types of tree pulp, forced luxury toilet paper brand Quilton manufacturer ABC Tissue to cease operations in Auckland last year. Kleenex also stopped importing to New Zealand.