“They’ve been asking for months and finally now made the decision to take action.”
E tū members said they weren’t opposed to more strikes if the 5% mark wasn’t met, but said it would be up to the whole team to decide.
TVNZ staff picketing outside the company’s flagship building on Victoria St West in Auckland’s CBD. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Strikes were held across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
“With annual inflation at 3.7%, that’s another real pay cut for a workforce that has seen offers fall below inflation for years,” the union said this morning.
Outside the Auckland office, TVNZ Māori Affairs correspondent Te Aniwa Hurihanganui, 1News reporter Aziz Al Sa’afin and political producer Tom Day could be seen among the crowd.
E tū member and TVNZ employee Hamish Hodges told the Herald that bargaining had been a “long rollercoaster ride”.
“It needs to be acknowledged we do a lot of hard work.”
He said pay rises in the past nine or so years hadn’t kept up with inflation.
Mackintosh said earlier today that the country relied on “good media”.
“We’ve watched newsrooms shrink and experienced people leave the industry for years. Every time someone walks out the door because they can’t afford to stay, the whole country loses something.
“TVNZ belongs to the public. New Zealanders expect it to tell the truth and hold power to account, and they’d expect it to treat its own workers fairly too.”
TVNZ reiterated this morning what it told the Herald last week – that the company had not yet reached an agreement with the union.
“We’ve been in constructive bargaining discussions with the unions since July, but have not yet reached an agreement.
“We remain committed to a remuneration increase for members. However, the unions’ current proposal exceeds what TVNZ can sustain.”
Some striking staff held signs saying “Pay us what we’re worth” and “Pay me, don’t insult me”. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
TVNZ journalist and E tū delegate Ethan Te Ora said wages needed to rise in line with inflation.
“We’re hearing stories about workers at TVNZ choosing between buying baby formula and coming into work, because they can’t afford the transport costs.
“A decent pay offer would make all the difference. Let’s be clear, no one goes into journalism for the money, but we deserve more than meagre pay rises that don’t keep up with the cost of living.”
Al Sa’afin said pay was detrimental to keeping some of the company’s most experienced journalists.
“Some of my colleagues have given more than 20 years to TVNZ. They’re incredibly skilled people who care deeply about what they do, and they deserve to be paid fairly. Instead, they’re struggling to cover the mortgage or rent and keep food on the table.
“We all love what we do. We just want to be able to keep doing that while being paid fairly.”