By MATHEW DEARNALEY
Businesses racing to meet goods and services tax deadlines tomorrow have been urged to pay early because of a threatened national strike at the WestpacTrust bank.
WestpacTrust, which is the only bank authorised to accept payments for Inland Revenue, apologised in advance last night for any inconvenience which might be caused by a strike tomorrow.
Spokeswoman Jane Anderson suggested businesses either post cheques to the tax department today, or use internet banking to pay their dues.
Although internet and telephone banking would not be affected by the strike, she said only WestpacTrust customers could use the facilities.
Her advice followed comments to the Herald yesterday by an Auckland office manager, Elizabeth Marks, who feared that tens of thousands of small businesses might be penalised unfairly by 5 per cent for missing GST deadlines.
An Inland Revenue spokesman said she could not comment officially as she had yet to receive information from the bank. But she was almost certain penalties would not be imposed as long as cheques bore a postmark of no later than tomorrow.
Finsec union spokesman Gordon Webley said people should put pressure on the bank to treat its staff fairly, and to give everyone a pay rise of at least 2.4 per cent to match cost of living increases.
The union says 15 per cent to 20 per cent of its members covered by collective employment negotiations stand to receive no increase, but the bank insists the figure is less than 5 per cent, and that staff will receive an average rise of 4.38 per cent.
Ms Anderson confirmed that the bank had agreed to pay workers whom it suspended from four Auckland branches on Monday for time they would otherwise have worked after returning from disruptive extended lunches.
Mr Webley said the bank backed down under the threat of Employment Court injunction proceedings, and spontaneous sympathy walkouts by more than 500 workers on Monday and a further 200 yesterday morning.
The backdown prevented even more disruption yesterday afternoon. But feelings were running so high that he expected the 2100 union members involved in the dispute to vote tomorrow morning to strike for the full day.
They intended wearing mufti clothing with items of black to work today, and would be encouraged to donate blood or perform other community services while away tomorrow, in symbolic contrast to an employer that was "sucking profits from the community and sending them overseas".
Ms Anderson said she knew of only three bank branches closed by industrial action yesterday.
The bank was seeking mediation assistance from the Employment Relations Authority tomorrow.
Mr Webley said the union was asking the authority to postpone a mediation hearing until next week, because transport to Wellington was booked out by Easter travellers.
Race to beat tax deadline as bank strike looms
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