ASTE Members at CPIT to take further Strike Action

ASTE Members at CPIT to take further Strike Action.

Mike Dawson, Field Officer and Advocate of ASTE Te Hau Takitini o Aotearoa, said today in Christchurch that tomorrow (Tuesday, 2 August) ASTE members will hold a picket line at the Madras Street CPIT main entrance and will then meet from 10.30 am to noon to discuss further action. At noon ASTE members plan to conduct a protest march through the grounds of CPIT back to the picket line in Madras Street.

Mike Dawson said “ASTE as an organisation has had no approaches from management to try to find a resolution since CPIT received our notice of strike action early last week. This is an appalling indictment on an organisation that professes to be concerned about the affects of industrial action on its student community.”

Mr Dawson added “The support received from students has been fantastic and is appreciated by their tutors who regret having to take such a stand. Academic staff who are members of ASTE are astounded that, despite management talk about concerns for CPIT students, they have done nothing to try to avert this strike action.”. “Their first attempt at mediation was for the day of the strike, rather than earlier.” he added.

Mr Dawson confirmed that the parties are meeting in mediation this Wednesday and said “unless there is a significantly improved offer from CPIT, strikes, stop work meetings, working to rule and other substantive action not yet announced would continue. Staff cannot, and will not, continue to subsidise the system with huge and increasing workloads while their earning capacity continues to diminish. Our members are absolutely definite about this. They are not prepared to take what is effectively a pay cut compared to inflation”

ENDS

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