Telecom lines engineers on nation-wide strike

Hundreds of lines engineers contracted to Telecom went on strike today, demanding redundancy protection as the industry undergoes change.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) spokesman Rob Egan said about 400 employees from contractor Transfield Services walked off the job after negotiations stalled.

The EPMU has been in talks with Telecom's network division Chorus since it signed a 10-year contract with Visionstream, which will introduce an owner/operator model when it takes over networks in Auckland and Northland.

Fears the model would catch on had employees of the two established contractors, Transfield Services and Downer EDi Engineering, worried, Mr Egan said.

"They want a redundancy agreement because what's happening with Visionstream in Northland is basically flowing through the country.

"The guys from Transfield are worried about what the future holds for them."

Negotiations with Downer were at an earlier stage Mr Egan said.

Auckland strikers were joined by a Hamilton contingent outside Transfield's offices in Avondale today.

Organiser Joe Gallagher said it was about sending a message to Telecom that workers were sick of the "desecration of this industry".

"They're not going to take it any more. It has come to a crossroads and we're going to stand up and fight back.

"We are the people who design, build and maintain the Telecom network."

He said workers were striking today in Whakatane, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson and Christchurch.

Mr Egan was not sure how long the strike would last as each area was operating independently.

"Some of them are taking the whole weekend, some are just taking the day. It's being done on a site-by-site decision."

Chorus spokesman Robin Kelly said some "short-term impact to service levels" was expected but there was a plan in place and people on the ground to address problems.

He said union members represented about 20 per cent of those employed through Chorus' contractors.

"Customers should continue to report any faults to their service provider.

"The repair of faults has been prioritised, which may unfortunately result in some delays to some other services.

"Of course we respect the right of the union to take this action. But at the end of the day we are disappointed it impacts the customers."

Mr Kelly said the contract dispute was between Transfield and its staff, and Chorus would trust the company to work with the union.

"We'll get on with the business of trying to minimise any disruption."

A Transfield spokesman said the company was working closely with Chorus and was in contact with the union.

He said there were "various contingency plans" to keep the lines going, but could not go into detail.

EPMU secretary Andrew Little said Telecom's contracting model was the "root cause of today's action".

"(It) plays contractors off against each other in a race to the bottom on wages and the stability of the network.

"There is an industry-wide issue here which is Telecom's refusal to face up to its responsibility to its staff and to its customers.

"If Telecom is allowed to get away with this, the end result will be unreliable network maintenance with a built-in incentive to get the job done fast rather than doing it right."

- NZPA