03 December 2009

Dear ITP MECA members

First of all, thank you for the high turn out the stop work meetings this week and your support for the bargaining team members to date.”  This is a complex and difficult industrial dispute and your ongoing resolve and strength is collectively heartening.

We have now concluded the round of meetings.”  Your bargaining team has carefully considered all the feedback and decisions from these meetings on a conference call this afternoon. The recommendation was widely supported at all Branches.” ”  To enable the current negotiations to continue and the recommendation to be progressed, your bargaining have made the decision that” ”  all industrial action be suspended, effective from the start of business on Friday 4th December. This includes the withholding of marks.

We acknowledge that there was passionate discussion about this matter at some of the meetings, due to the effectiveness of the withholding marks action, and congratulate members for their solidarity and strength.”  However, the team decided that we needed to get back to the negotiations table in order to progress the bargaining in line with the outcome of the stop work meetings.

We have advised the following to the employer representatives

“The bargaining team will now prepare an email and message for our members advising them on this decision, which will be sent out later today. I would ask you all respect TEU good faith obligation to our members, to ensure we are able to advise our members of the bargaining team decision before any announcement and or emails are send out by your senior management.”  Further, I request that you do not approach any of our members about processing the marks until tomorrow.”  It is also important to note, because of the current industrial action, some members will not have all their marks ready to process and this should be respected”

We have also advised the Department of Labour mediator of this decision, and bargaining is being organized for Monday and Tuesday next week.

We will report back on this mediation on Wednesday next week.

Once again thank you all for your support in this process.

Kia kaha and solidarity

TūKotahi – Stand as One

Irena Brorens, Lead Advocate – http://scr.im/irenabrorens

On behalf of your bargaining team – Glennis Birks (Wintec), Rod Fearn (WITT), Sarah Hardman (Unitec), Sharon Phillips (Whitireia), Eric Stone (NorthTec), Robyn Tucker (BoPP), Chan Dixon”  Co – Advocate (TEU Organiser)