About 100 striking workers at a manufacturing plant in Auckland are picketing outside the Avondale factory today in an effort to secure the living wage.
File image Photo: 123RF
E tū members working at ETEL Transformers have reached an impasse with the company, which has indicated it will increase the base rate for fully trained workers to the living wage rate in December.
But E tū delegate Viane Muliaga said workers could not wait six months because they could not afford the huge rises in the cost of living, and some were having to take on second jobs.
"Our members are telling us they need it now, not in December, as the company has offered," he said.
"Many say they are struggling to survive on what they earn - especially with kids, rent or a mortgage, food, and not to mention petrol."
Muliaga said low wages had led to a high turnover of staff.
E tū organiser Jen Natoli said many workers who had been underpaid for decades were now pushing for more than they may have in the past, given the rising cost of living.
"Wages haven't kept pace for workers, and manufacturing companies are now having to consider what a Living Wage means to their workers when CPI is so high."
Some sectors were seeking pay increases of up to 15 percent after several decades of having just the minimum, she said.
"Because of low pay increases and an increasing minimum wage, manufacturing workers have found they no longer earn the margins they used to for their skills and experience - an industry once known for its well-paid jobs.
"When you're paying high amounts for basic necessities, when you can't make your rent, those wins become urgent."
In a statement, ETEL said it had "been in collective bargaining with E tū union for a number of weeks and has put various offers on the table for the union to consider with the hope of bringing negotiations to a positive conclusion.
"The company remains committed to working with the union and hopes to reach a resolution as soon as possible."