Progressive

A union that succeeded against an extended lock out of 600 locked out supermarket distribution centre workers last year has condemned the lock out of low paid hospital workers and pledged its support to a union movement campaign to support them. The National Distribution Union’s pledge follows the issuing of lock out notices to around 700 service and support workers in district health boards in New Zealand by three overseas employers, OCS Ltd, ISS Ltd and Compass.

The three-year settlement achieved the workers' key aim of equal pay across Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch Foodtown, Countdown and Woolworths Distribution Centres.

A single national pay rate will deliver 19.7% to the lowest paid distribution centre in Christchurch by year three.

"Twenty-eight days without pay was hard, but in the end we won our agreement," said Mangere distribution delegate Daniel Patea. "Some of us had no money except for the kind donations from the public, but we knew if we stood staunch, we'd win - and we did."

"They tried to bully us into submission through starvation, but all they've done is made us stronger."

The unions initiated national bargaining to deliver parity of allowances across the sites.

NDU National Secretary Laila Harre said that the workers achieved parity across all three centres by the third year at a level equal to 95.4% of existing Palmerston North allowances.

The small difference will be protected for current workers in Palmerston North, she said.

"While this settlement results in three separate agreements we only got there because the employer failed completely in its mission to force workers to give up their national bargaining power."

"Three separate agreements were always an option, but our determination to bargain nationally was absolute and because of that we achieved our pay parity objective."

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union National Secretary Andrew Little said that Progressive gave up the fight in the face of overwhelming public support for the workers.

Also achieved were 5 weeks annual leave for those with 10 years service and a $1000 interest free loan for the returning workers.

Daniel Patea said that the most important win from the dispute is the sense of community and activism that now exists on the worksite.

After months of organising and protesting Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworth supermarket retail workers won a real wage rise and kept their long service leave.

The scene has been set for tackling youth rates at the three brands through the working party. Union pay rises averaged 4.5% (50c to 55c an hour), and 5.5% for young workers.

Annual leave increases to five weeks after 10 years service.

The settlement came in the third week of the warehouse lockout, and only after employer attempts to pressure union members failed.

Among the tactics used by the employer was an offer of 3.5% to non-members. In some stores union members were told they too could be locked out.

Fortunately the work done this year to improve union communication in the supermarkets paid off – allowing information to get out to members quickly.

Although around 200 members resigned from the union after the employer misinformation, many quickly rejoined.

The supermarket campaign, Shelfrespect.org, used rallies outside supermarkets to increase member activism and build customer support.

Before negotiations started delegates in Auckland put the campaign on the 6 o'clock news with a noisy lunchtime rally at the Onehunga Foodtown.

One delegate said: "They're going to hate this. The only reason they don't expect it is because they're used to walking all over us."

A mid-year recruitment drive saw membership grow by hundreds, including among young workers who now have a $2 youth fee.

At Foodtown stores membership climbed from 22% to 27% in just a few weeks.

So with confidence and membership growing the union met the company for the first negotiations in July.

Management took a hardline: their best offer was 2.6% over 9 months, and they absolutely refused to increase annual leave to five weeks for long serving staff.

They wouldn't discuss other issues and even a company offer to remove youth rates for junior supervisors was withdrawn.

"It was clear from the start that the company wasn't going to budge and that we had to build activism in preparation for any future actions," said Retail Secretary Judy Attenburger.

The following week delegates and activists at meetings around the country rejected the company's "insulting" offer and endorsed a customer campaign and petition.

In Auckland, 500 members came to a stop work meeting.

When it came to discuss the next step in the campaign, one worker suggested short strikes of up to an hour during busy shopping times.

An indicative vote showed over 90% support for such action.

Over the following weeks the media captured union members in Auckland, Whangarei, Palmerston North, Gisborne, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin plastering customers with stickers and handing out plastic shopping bags with "I support supermarket workers" printed on them.

One delegate, Jane, who has been a delegate at Foodtown Greenlane for 18 years said "I'm just sick of the crap the company's dealing us, and that's why I stand up for the people."

Just as the supermarket campaign took off, Progressive locked out their 600 distribution workers. Laila Harré explains that the lockout was also aimed at supermarket workers.

"The company saw the union getting more active everywhere and we are sure that the lock out was used to try and frighten supermarket workers," she said. "The cost of a living wage and equal pay for equal work for 17,000 supermarket workers was always going to be much greater than equal pay for equal work for the company's 600 warehouse workers."

But with supermarket workers in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch joining the distribution workers on their picket lines and marches, the company's attempts to divide union members failed.

"The solidarity from our supermarket members during the lock out was great," says Karl Andersen, TES Sector secretary. "Supermarket workers were refusing to do the work of the locked out workers. Members called to tell us when supplies were arriving, allowing us to set up pickets outside stores.

The distribution centre workers appreciated seeing their supermarket co-workers at the picket lines, often bringing money and food.

In Mangere, the local Countdown delegate presented one of the first worksite donations.

In Wellington supermarket delegates and the Brass Razoo Band raised $1500 in just 30 minutes for the lockout fund."
A week after the supermarket negotiations resumed on the 7th & 8th of September a settlement was reached in mediation.

The settlement was a good result on key issues as well as providing a basis for the union and employer to continue work on developing a single pay scale across the three brands.

The strength that both the warehouse and the supermarket workers showed Progressive brought greater respect for them at the bargaining table.