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Chorus - Source: ONE News -
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Telecom lines engineers are holding a one-day nationwide strike
on Monday, protesting what they say are the company's attacks on
their incomes and employment rights.
As many as 900 engineers are taking part to persuade Telecom's
network division Chorus to abandon a
10-year contract agreement with Australian company
Visionstream.
The new contract for the Auckland-Northland region replaces existing service providers Transfield and Downer EDi Engineering.
Engineers say Visionstream's plan will force them into a dependent contracting model in which they have to provide their own materials and vehicles while Visionstream allocates the work.
The union representing engineers, the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), says the new arrangement will play contractors off against each other, leaving the workers with no rights.
The EPMU says the strike coincides with the first redundancies
of engineers in the Auckland-Northland region.
