Union claims private calls discussing pay talks tapped

Police are investigating union claims of illegal eavesdropping on private conference calls that discussed sensitive contract negotiations in the newspaper industry.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), which represents staff at APN newspapers, says phone records show unauthorised calls to a regular weekly conference call between the union and staff delegates.

All the unauthorised calls allegedly came from the main number used by the Hawke's Bay Today newspaper and APN's regional offices in Hastings.

APN's regional newspapers (nine daily newspapers and 35 community titles) are managed from offices in a building which also houses the daily newspaper Hawke's Bay Today.

EPMU's complaint is that "the caller or callers intentionally and unlawfully intercepted private communications, and also caused the EPMU to incur the costs of the unauthorised calls".

Hawkes Bay-based chief operating officer for APN regional newspapers, Craig Marsh, would not comment on the EPMU claims. "Any comment we've got is being referred to our solicitors."

Police eastern district commander Superintendent Grant Nicholls said the matter was being investigated but he could not release any details.

"I can confirm that police are investigating a complaint made by that organisation," he said.

At the time of the calls the union was negotiating with APN New Zealand for collective employment agreements covering several APN newspapers in the central North Island.

It was suspected that an unauthorised person was dialling in and listening, so the union got Telecom records.

They showed that on nine of the 12 weeks an unauthorised caller from Hawke's Bay Today was the first to log on to the call - about 10 minutes before it was scheduled to start - and the last to log off. At no stage on any of the conference calls did the unauthorised caller say anything.

The union also was also billed for all incoming calls, including those that were not authorised.


APN also owns the Herald. 

- NZPA