CHH at centre of industrial strife

Workers at some Carter Holt Harvey sites in Australia were locked out until yesterday after walking off the job for 24 hours last week following a breakdown in contract negotiations.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union said the workers had voted to strike after a breakdown in negotiating an enterprise bargaining agreement.

The company wants to continue with site-based agreements.

Maree Arneson, of Carter Holt Harvey Australia, confirmed there were 24-hour stoppages at two of the company's sites in South Australia, at one site in Victoria and at a site in New South Wales.

Arneson said CHH was "talking with those people to try and get a good result - something they view as fair and reasonable". Some stoppages had been accompanied by peaceful assemblies by union members.

She also said that the company restricted overtime on subsequent shifts following the stoppages at two sites where there had been previous industrial action.

Arneson said the company was able to continue production during the stoppages and there was no disruption to customers.

However, union spokeswoman Max Adlam said the company had locked out workers who had taken part in the stoppages at the two sites until yesterday.

"While there was certainly a restriction on overtime because of the weekend work it also applied to people's normal rostered shifts," Adlam said. CHH New Zealand this year blamed a three-month strike at its giant Kinleith pulp and paper mill for knocking its June quarter profit.

It hit earnings before interest and tax by $28 million in the quarter.

- NZPA