Dunedin and Otago staff at Idea Services, the operational arm of IHC, will take part in a four-hour national strike next Monday, after the failure of mediation efforts for nearly 3000 staff. Etu industry co-ordinator Alastair Duncan said Idea Services had ''refused to budge'' on key union claims to lift wages and conditions. Mr Duncan said Idea wanted to cut ''current conditions'', and also to ''undermine'' job security, using the mantra of so-called 'flexibility'. Idea chief operating officer Joan Cowan said the strike would affect support and administration staff throughout the country. Management had attended mediation on Monday, had ''listened to our staff'' and had been ''carefully considering all demands, either financial or otherwise''.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 26, 2019 15:33 UTC