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Balloting for the latest offer at Telecom contractor Downers continued this week but a result is expected early next week.

The EPMU is not recommending the offer and is also discussing the possibility of industrial action if the vote is rejected.

EPMU organiser Kelvin Ellis says the offer just doesn’t meet the claims mandated by members. “These guys have been made an offer that doesn’t even track with inflation while many of their colleagues across the ditch are making twice as much for the same job.”

“We don’t believe Downers can afford to pay our members much more than they are offering,” says Ellis, “because Telecom has pushed them into a contract that just isn’t feasible.”

“The simple truth is that the buck stops with Telecom,” he says, “they’ve been talking up their investment in broadband but they just aren’t putting in the investment to keep the workers they need to roll it out.”

The negotiations with Downers have been running since last year.