1600 activists and delegates stopped work in Auckland today to organise against youth rates and to build union power, says the National Distribution Union.

NDU National Secretary Laila Harré says that the Government will final vote on Sue Bradford’s 2005 bill to end youth rates next week, albeit in a watered down form so that 16 and 17 year olds would have to work 200 hours before they went to the full adult rate.

The two Auckland meetings in South and Central Auckland come almost a year after the start of the prolonged and vicious Progressive Lockout last year.

“The National Distribution Union is fighting as hard to win equal pay for young New Zealanders as we fought for equal pay across the three Progressive DC’s when they were locked out last year,” she said. “Today’s overwhelming support for youth and for the direction the union was overwhelming.”

Rainbows End cleaner Melanie Cawte, 16, who won a $1.80 (20%) pay rise with the union last month, told her adult union members that it would take her five months to work 200 hours on her 10 hour weekly roster.

“It’s simply not fair to be paid less for doing the same job as an adult off the street with no training”, she said. “Getting the adult rate after five months of work would be better, but it wouldn’t stop legal discrimination against young Kiwis.”

Melanie is encouraging all young workers, unionized and non-union, to join her at the EndYouthRatesNow.com protest and gig at Britomart this Saturday at 12 noon.

65 year old driver Ray Nelson from NZL, who has been a union member for over 45 years, said that if there was one thing he could do before he retired, it was to end youth rates.
NDU ended youth rates at Postie Plus last year.

Further stopwork meetings will be held around the country until the end of the month.

ENDS

Contact

Media liaison Simon Oosterman on 021 922 551
NDU National Secretary Laila Harré on 021 839 661