Staff at Lincoln University strike over pay

Lincoln University staff took strike action on Thursday over pay rises.

The Tertiary Education Union said its members went on strike at four universities across New Zealand today.

Staff are striking over inadequate pay offers and employers' refusal to pay staff more than the living the wage, it said.

Lincoln University said it offered a three per cent increase in salaries and allowances on three collective agreements during its negotiations with the Tertiary Education Union, Public Service Association and E tū union.

TEU said the action involved 4000 staff at Auckland, Massey, Canterbury and Lincoln universities.

Canterbury University would not tell RNZ the pay rise it had offered.

But it said talks with unions had been constructive.

The TEU said it was seeking a six per cent pay rise for its members.

The union's assistant national secretary, Daniel Benson-Guiu, said pay growth in the universities had been much slower than the rest of the workforce, at a time when inflation had been at 30-year highs.

"Our members will not take that lying down.

"They fought two years ago when 7000 of our members took action, they are fighting now and they will keep fighting until they get the recognition they are owed," he said.

The union said it was in negotiations with Victoria University and Otago University.

It said Auckland University of Technology was not negotiating this year and the University of Waikato was beginning new negotiations after settling its collective agreement in July.