Vol. 73/No. 33      August 31, 2009

Chorus bosses have given Visionstream, one of its three contractors, service contracts in Auckland and Northland, New Zealand, replacing Downer EDI and Transfield Services in those regions.

The change will affect about 900 out of 2,500 workers nationwide. Visionstream says it will hire only those who sign owner-operator agreements, meaning they will get paid for each job they are given rather than receiving set wages and hours of work.

Under this deal, each engineer would be forced to set up a business and provide his or her own vehicle, tools, and equipment. Workers on the picket line here estimated that setup expenses alone would run into tens of thousands of dollars. Most have refused to sign on to the scheme.

“We just want wages,” striker Mike Looker told the Militant. Visionstream, he said, “is giving us terms and we have to agree. There’s no negotiations. We’ll get up to 60 percent less in earnings. There’s nasty clauses, like they’re not obligated to give us work or pay us.”

In addition to their picket lines, strikers have conducted protest marches in a number of cities.

Workers outside of Auckland and Northland are employed by Downer or Transfield. In place of hourly wages, Downer bosses are seeking to impose a choice for workers between a piece-rate system or signing a similar owner-operator agreement.
 
 
Related articles:
FlatRate movers in New York fight for union
Nickel miners in Canada strike to defend union
New Zealand school workers demand wage raise
Workers in Haiti march to raise minimum wage  
 
 
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