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40 workers at the Lines Company in New Zealand are asking for a 2% pay rise which would cost their employer NZ$26,000 per year. The CEO, John Anderson, who earns NZ$300,000, is threatening to lock workers out if they persist.



The EPMU organiser Myles Leeson describes the company’s position as “unjustified and greedy”.



"Perhaps if the company is wondering where to get $26,000 from it could consider reviewing its CEO's $300,000 salary, or the $140,000 it pays out to its four board members to attend just eight meetings a year.”



"This is a company that can easily afford a small increase for its staff … to help provide for their families and go some way towards covering the rising cost of living. The company's threat to lock them out without pay is a disgrace."



The EPMU is New Zealand’s largest private sector union, representing 45,000 workers across eleven industries.