Waihi miners agree to 11.6% pay deal

Waihi Gold Mine. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

A long-running dispute between striking Waihi gold miners and their bosses was settled today with the miners winning an 11.6 per cent pay increase over the next three years.

The agreement between HWE Mining Pty Ltd and the 55 miners in the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) came after mediation talks in Tauranga this week.

Union members took industrial action in July, stopping work two days a week and taking two 30-minute breaks above the ground each 11-1/2 hour shift rather than a single one-hour break.

The settlement is back-dated to May 8 and includes pay increases of 4 per cent in 2010, 4 per cent in 2011 and 3.5 per cent in 2012. EPMU members also receive an up front payment of up to $750 (based on length of service from 8 May 2007 to 8 May 2010) and an increase in redundancy compensation benefits from the current maximum payment of six weeks' pay to nine weeks' pay in 2012.

- NZPA