CPI shows wages must rise

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) says pressure for higher wages will continue following today's announcement that the CPI has risen by 1.1% in the quarter to September.

This increase in the cost of living comes mainly from food, fuel and electricity price inflation which will hit working New Zealanders particularly hard combined with the Government’s recent GST price hike.

"This is the level of increase in a single quarter before any GST increase,” says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"This is not a good sign when many people aren't even getting pay increases and when real incomes have fallen 4% in the last year before this figure.”

“While most EPMU members are in a better position to weather the cost increases than the average working New Zealander, another increase in living costs will be a factor in future negotiations.”

"This new rise in costs is going to have to be taken into account in the next round of collective negotiations.”

"Every time our members fill up their supermarket trolleys or their cars they're feeling the pinch and the only answer to that is to ensure that they're getting high enough wages to keep ahead of the game.”

"It also needs to be recognised that without strong work rights Kiwi workers would not have the tools to win the pay rises they need and that any reduction in these rights will only make it harder for workers and their families to get by."

The EPMU will be holding 15 stopwork meetings around the country this week on Wednesday 20 October as part of a Nationwide Day of Action to promote stronger work rights and oppose the Government's planned employment law changes, including extending the 90-day fire-at-will law to all workplaces.

Andrew Little will speak at the largest of the meetings at TelstraClear Pacific Stadium in Manukau City, South Auckland, starting at 1pm, Wednesday 20 October.

ENDS

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