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20-Mar-08 11:10 [Asia Pacific]
Hospital workers to strike in New Zealand Hospital workers in New Zealand have given two weeks notice of strike action after a dispute over pay and employee reward.
More than 800 workers in hospitals throughout New Zealand, who work for the Spotless Services, are to walk off the job next month.
The Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) industrial co-ordinator Shane Vugler said: "It's been nine months since Spotless locked our members out of their workplace for nine days over their wage negotiations. That lockout was resolved on the basis of agreement on wages, penal rates and overtime that Spotless workers would receive."
He added that Spotless is now refusing to pay because of "funding issues" and it is using its workers as "pawns" in its own funding dispute.
It is claimed by the union that a minimum pay rate was established but the company is now refusing to pay the rate which was agreed upon.
Members of the SFWU have also been involved in a dispute with Air New Zealand over the airline paying foreign crews to work on its flights to and from New Zealand.
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The first day of campaigning for the Japanese premiership started this week but was marred by unrest surrounding a pension system which is "close to meltdown", it has been reported.
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