Telecom line engineers strike

Up to 900 Telecom lines engineers are going on strike, coinciding with the company's first redundancies in Auckland and Northland.

It also follows a series of strikes and work-bans that have seen at least one broadband supplier advise customers of significant disruption.

EPMU spokesman Joe Gallagher says Telecom's contracting model is putting the future of New Zealand's network at risk.

He says the dispute is not just about members' employment, but about an industry that has been run-down and squeezed for profit until it is dry.

He points out that a lot of our telecommunications infrastructure dates back to the 1930s.

- NEWSTALK ZB