diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
index 8ec1534a6..7d23c926e 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemWriterTests.java
@@ -110,13 +110,22 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests {
 	 * because running the tests in a UNIX environment locks the file if it's open for writing.
 	 */
 	private String readLine() throws IOException {
+		return readLine("UTF-8");
+	}
+	
+	/*
+	 * Read a line from the output file, if the reader has not been created, recreate. This method is only necessary
+	 * because running the tests in a UNIX environment locks the file if it's open for writing.
+	 */
+	private String readLine(String encoding) throws IOException {
 
 		if (reader == null) {
-			reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(outputFile), "UTF-8"));
+			reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(outputFile), encoding));
 		}
 
 		return reader.readLine();
-	}
+	}	
+	
 	/*
 	 * Properly close the output file reader.
 	 */
@@ -434,8 +443,18 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests {
 	
 	@Test
 	// BATCH-1959
-	public void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter() throws Exception {
+	public void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacterUTF8() throws Exception {
+		testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter("UTF-8");
+	}
 
+	@Test
+	// BATCH-1959
+	public void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacterUTF16BE() throws Exception {
+		testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter("UTF-16BE");
+	}
+
+	private void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter(String encoding) throws Exception {
+		writer.setEncoding(encoding);
 		writer.setFooterCallback(new FlatFileFooterCallback() {
 
             @Override
@@ -492,15 +511,14 @@ public class FlatFileItemWriterTests {
 
 		// verify what was written to the file
 		for (int i = 1; i <= 8; i++) {
-			assertEquals("téstLine" + i, readLine());
+			assertEquals("téstLine" + i, readLine(encoding));
 		}
 
-		assertEquals("footer", readLine());
+		assertEquals("footer", readLine(encoding));
 
 		// 3 lines were written to the file after restart
-		assertEquals(3, executionContext.getLong(ClassUtils.getShortName(FlatFileItemWriter.class) + ".written"));
-
-	}	
+		assertEquals(3, executionContext.getLong(ClassUtils.getShortName(FlatFileItemWriter.class) + ".written"));		
+	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testOpenWithNonWritableFile() throws Exception {
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/StaxEventItemWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/StaxEventItemWriterTests.java
index 5b10370c1..a467fdaf7 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/StaxEventItemWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/StaxEventItemWriterTests.java
@@ -60,13 +60,26 @@ public class StaxEventItemWriterTests {
 
 	private JAXBItem jaxbItem = new JAXBItem();
 
+	// test item for writing to output with multi byte character
+	private Object itemMultiByte = new Object() {
+		@Override
+		public String toString() {
+			return ClassUtils.getShortName(StaxEventItemWriter.class) + "-téstStrïng";
+		}
+	};
+
 	private List<? extends Object> items = Collections.singletonList(item);
 
+	private List<? extends Object> itemsMultiByte = Collections.singletonList(itemMultiByte);
+
 	private List<? extends Object> jaxbItems = Collections.singletonList(jaxbItem);
 
 	private static final String TEST_STRING = "<" + ClassUtils.getShortName(StaxEventItemWriter.class)
 			+ "-testString/>";
 
+	private static final String TEST_STRING_MULTI_BYTE = "<" + ClassUtils.getShortName(StaxEventItemWriter.class)
+			+ "-téstStrïng/>";
+
 	private static final String NS_TEST_STRING = "<ns:" + ClassUtils.getShortName(StaxEventItemWriter.class)
 			+ "-testString/>";
 
@@ -185,6 +198,68 @@ public class StaxEventItemWriterTests {
 		assertTrue(outputFile.contains("<root>" + TEST_STRING + TEST_STRING + "</root>"));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	// BATCH-1959
+	public void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacterUTF8() throws Exception {
+		testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter("UTF-8");
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	// BATCH-1959
+	public void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacterUTF16BE() throws Exception {
+		testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter("UTF-16BE");
+	}
+
+	private void testTransactionalRestartWithMultiByteCharacter(String encoding) throws Exception {
+		writer.setEncoding(encoding);
+		writer.open(executionContext);
+
+		PlatformTransactionManager transactionManager = new ResourcelessTransactionManager();
+
+		new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute(new TransactionCallback() {
+			@Override
+			public Object doInTransaction(TransactionStatus status) {
+				try {
+					// write item
+					writer.write(itemsMultiByte);
+				}
+				catch (Exception e) {
+					throw new UnexpectedInputException("Could not write data", e);
+				}
+				// get restart data
+				writer.update(executionContext);
+				return null;
+			}
+		});
+		writer.close();
+
+		// create new writer from saved restart data and continue writing
+		writer = createItemWriter();
+		writer.setEncoding(encoding);
+		writer.open(executionContext);
+		new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute(new TransactionCallback() {
+			@Override
+			public Object doInTransaction(TransactionStatus status) {
+				try {
+					writer.write(itemsMultiByte);
+				}
+				catch (Exception e) {
+					throw new UnexpectedInputException("Could not write data", e);
+				}
+				// get restart data
+				writer.update(executionContext);
+				return null;
+			}
+		});
+		writer.close();
+
+		// check the output is concatenation of 'before restart' and 'after
+		// restart' writes.
+		String outputFile = getOutputFileContent(encoding);
+		assertEquals(2, StringUtils.countOccurrencesOf(outputFile, TEST_STRING_MULTI_BYTE));
+		assertTrue(outputFile.contains("<root>" + TEST_STRING_MULTI_BYTE + TEST_STRING_MULTI_BYTE + "</root>"));
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "rawtypes"})
 	public void testTransactionalRestartFailOnFirstWrite() throws Exception {
@@ -692,11 +767,21 @@ public class StaxEventItemWriterTests {
 	 * @return output file content as String
 	 */
 	private String getOutputFileContent() throws IOException {
-		String value = FileUtils.readFileToString(resource.getFile(), null);
-		value = value.replace("<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>", "");
+		return getOutputFileContent("UTF-8");
+	}
+
+
+	/**
+	 * @param encoding the encoding
+	 * @return output file content as String
+	 */
+	private String getOutputFileContent(String encoding) throws IOException {
+		String value = FileUtils.readFileToString(resource.getFile(), encoding);
+		value = value.replace("<?xml version='1.0' encoding='" + encoding + "'?>", "");
 		return value;
 	}
 
+
 	/**
 	 * @return new instance of fully configured writer
 	 */
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/support/transaction/TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/support/transaction/TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests.java
index dcba51971..d562543e3 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/support/transaction/TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/support/transaction/TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests.java
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ public class TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests {
 	@Test
 	@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "rawtypes"})
 	// BATCH-1959
-	public void testBufferSizeInTransactionWithMultiByteCharacter() throws Exception {
+	public void testBufferSizeInTransactionWithMultiByteCharacterUTF8() throws Exception {
 		ArgumentCaptor<ByteBuffer> bb = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(ByteBuffer.class);
 		when(fileChannel.write(bb.capture())).thenReturn(5);
 
@@ -210,6 +210,32 @@ public class TransactionAwareBufferedWriterTests {
 		assertEquals(0, writer.getBufferSize());
 	}	
 
+	@Test
+	@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "rawtypes"})
+	// BATCH-1959
+	public void testBufferSizeInTransactionWithMultiByteCharacterUTF16BE() throws Exception {
+		writer.setEncoding("UTF-16BE");
+		
+		ArgumentCaptor<ByteBuffer> bb = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(ByteBuffer.class);
+		when(fileChannel.write(bb.capture())).thenReturn(6);
+
+		new TransactionTemplate(transactionManager).execute(new TransactionCallback() {
+            @Override
+			public Object doInTransaction(TransactionStatus status) {
+				try {
+					writer.write("fóó");
+				}
+				catch (IOException e) {
+					throw new IllegalStateException("Unexpected IOException", e);
+				}
+				assertEquals(6, writer.getBufferSize());
+				return null;
+			}
+		});
+		
+		assertEquals(0, writer.getBufferSize());
+	}	
+
 	@Test
 	@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "rawtypes"})
 	public void testWriteWithRollback() throws Exception {