Workers at the Essity factory in Kawerau have been locked out indefinitely without pay.
It's been widely reported, 145 Pulp and Paper Worker Union affiliated workers have been locked out, due to a pay dispute.
The union has taken ongoing industrial action in pursuit of what Essity says, is a 7% pay increase.
In an official statement, Essity says they have offered a 3% pay rise over the next three years and a one-off cash payment, which makes the first-year increase equivalent to 8.3%.
Union spokesperson Tane Phillips says, the figure was a joke given the current cost-of-living crisis.
Phillips claimed the company told workers to either accept the offer or face consequences.
Kawerau General Manager Peter Hockley says, the union’s demands would make local manufacturing operations unviable in the future.
Hockley says, a lockout was their only option in an attempt to achieve a reasonable agreement and resume uninterrupted production.
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