NZ agents go on strike

Contact centre and IT workers at New Zealand company Veda Advantage took strike action this week over a pay dispute.

Veda Advantage, owned by an Australian-based private equity consortium, keeps credit records on New Zealanders. It was formerly known as Baycorp Advantage. The strike action is being taken in support of a 6% pay increase while the company is offering only 2%.

“We expect the rate of inflation to rise above 4% for the year to June 2008. With the company offer stuck at 2% these workers will continue to go backwards if they accept this offer,” said Unite Union national director Mike Treen. “We’d like the company to front up with a decent pay offer and put their employees’ needs ahead of the profit sought by the company’s private equity owners.”

Originally published in Callcentres.net