News

Telecom network maintenance engineers across New Zealand are continuing their fight against unfair contracts.



As UNI reported a few weeks ago, NZ Telecom has outsourced its network maintenance to Visionstream, a company which will save costs by forcing workers onto contracts which cut their pay by 50-65%.



Workers will be forced to operate as "dependent contractors" rather than being employed by the company, meaning that they will have to pay for their own equipment and for employer obligations like annual and sick leave.



UNI and its members and affiliates around the world have called on the companies involved to accept their responsibilities as employers rather than forcing workers into poverty in order to turn a higher profit. To send your own message to NZ Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds, click here.



The company has terminated the employment of all network maintenance engineers 2-3 weeks earlier than anticipated. All workers will finish their employment at the end of this week. NZ union, EPMU, sees this as a way to force workers into unemployment earlier and increase the pressure on workers to sign the new contracts. So far less than 100 workers have agreed to work under the new conditions. Visionstream needs a minimum of 600 workers to maintain Telecom's networks.



EPMU and its members are not giving up their fight. For up to date information about the struggle and what you can do to help, click here: http://www.epmu.org.nz/telecom/