Workers at water cooler company Just Water International are on strike today demanding better pay and conditions, saying they are overworked and frustrated.
Photo: 123RF
Just Water is one of the main suppliers of water coolers to businesses and is a listed company on the New Zealand stock exchange.
About 10 Auckland delivery workers will be striking, and company management themselves will need to deliver orders.
First Union spokesperson Jared Abbott said it was a physically demanding job, with shifts lasting up to 12 hours.
"These guys are carrying large bottles of water - over 15kg - up stairs and through city buildings with a very high pressure amount of work load that they have to do each day," he said.
Mr Abbott said the union had been trying to bargain with the company since last year, but there had been no breakthrough.
He said the workers wanted better pay and recognition.
"The workers are looking for around $20 an hour, and around $25 an hour when they have to work over nine hours a day," he said.
Just Water founder and chief executive Tony Falkenstein said the company was not willing to pay workers more because it was already paying a fair price.
He said he and other executives would be delivering water today.
"I'll be there, the chief operating officer will be there, and financial controller will be there - we'll all be delivering water," he said.
The strike began at 4.30am and finishes at 11pm tonight.
