Settlement at Kinleith puts mill back to work

Carter Holt Harvey Kinleith chief executive Brice Landman and Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little today announced that a settlement had been reached in the three-month long Kinleith industrial dispute, enabling New Zealand’s largest forest products facility to resume production early next week.

“Everyone affected by the Kinleith strike, from workers, to customers and suppliers, to people throughout the South Waikato, will be glad this dispute has ended,” said Andrew Little.

Brice Landman said that the union and company negotiating teams had worked very hard over the past fortnight to resolve outstanding issues, including term and pay, promotion lines, coverage of the mill’s fire fighting service, and the staffing of its chemical plant.

Andrew Little said “the health and safety issues that were at the heart of the union’s concerns have been clarified to the union’s satisfaction, enabling ratification of the proposed settlement by union members earlier today.”

Brice Landman and Andrew Little said that a lasting settlement, building on the same spirit shown in the negotiations, would be essential to Kinleith’s future progress.

“With a settlement reached, Kinleith has a chance to move forward again, on a sustainable basis as a world-class producer of pulp and paper for international markets. That vision for Kinleith is shared by the company and workers alike,” said Brice Landman.

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