Housing NZ staff stage stoppage

Hundreds of Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) staff will take to the streets today in support of their pay claim.

The employees have been taking part in industrial action for a month and are frustrated at what they see as lack of progress.

Now staff at over 40 centres around the country will hold a two hour stoppage from 12-2pm on today.

Rallies will be held during the stoppage at four sites in Auckland and one in Wellington outside HNZC's national office.

"This stoppage follows nearly a year of bargaining with the Corporation to negotiate fair pay and employment conditions," Public Service Association national secretary Richard Wagstaff said.

"We want fair rates of pay, rates that are negotiated not dictated, agreed hours of work and a fair process when jobs are cut or changed. None of this is unreasonable in fact they are modest claims for conditions that are fairly standard in most organisations."

Mr Wagstaff said that HNZC planned to cut its maintenance budget by a whopping 21 per cent.

"The impact of that will be a lot of disgruntled tenants and as always it will be HNZC employees who bear the brunt of public anger over cuts to services."

- NZPA