Delta Utility Services and its striking linemen staff are hoping to reignite stalled negotiations but further industrial action has not been ruled out.
A total 17 linemen at Delta, a Dunedin City Council trading company, were on a 24-hour strike yesterday, picketing Delta's office in Halsey St before moving to the Dunedin City Council in George St.
Engineering Print and Manufacturing Union organiser Mike Kirwood said he hoped "negotiations could be resumed soon", saying two main sticking points in previously failed talks and mediation were over working conditions.
He said Delta wanted new employees' entitlements to a maximum 52 weeks' redundancy reduced from 52 to 26 weeks.
If the Government introduced any legislative changes, Delta also wanted those changes reflected in work contracts.
There is a tripartite working group of political parties looking at the Holidays Act.
"This is all about changes to conditions. We will try to go back to negotiations, but the members will also be considering further industrial action," Mr Kirwood said.
Delta chief executive Grady Cameron said he was "disappointed" the staff in Delta's electricity services division undertook strike action as they "were not disadvantaged by any of the unresolved matters under discussion".
"Despite Delta offering a generous wage increase in these difficult economic times, and also undertaking mediation as recently as last Friday, collective negotiations with the EPMU remain unresolved," Mr Cameron said.
