The announcement of the two major supermarket chains that they have joined together to "make a difference" on plastic bags has been cautiously welcomed by the supermarket workers union, the National Distribution Union.

NDU Retail Secretary Maxine Gay says that while New Zealand’s supermarkets are taking credit for reducing the industries environmental impact, their hard working but low-paid checkout operators - who have made the reductions a possibility - have been forgotten.

“Supermarket checkout operators are our forgotten environmental heroes,” she said. “While the two supermarket giants are taking credit for reducing an environmental problem created by their very own industry, the workers who have played the key role in educating customers and lowering the use of plastic bags have been forgotten.”

Ms Gay said that supermarket workers are concerned about their industries environmental footprint but that they also have concerns that their customers will have to pay the full cost of the industries polluting.

“Consumers have done a wonderful job in reducing their plastic bag use and we have been very supportive of the supermarket industries first steps towards environmental sustainability. Now is the time to starting thinking about the day we ban plastic bags entirely.”

Supermarkets can “Make a Difference” and thank supermarket workers with higher wages and better conditions

Ms Gay said that one way Progressive can thank their low paid workers for doing a lot of the work educating and encouraging customers to reduce plastic bag use, is by giving them a pay rise at wage bargaining which starts in the next few weeks.

“Progressive, which has a multi-brand, multi-site collective agreement, is already one step ahead of the New Zealand owned Foodstuffs which is hiding behind its co-operative structure to deny collective bargaining across stores and brands.

"Now that Foodstuffs has shown that it can take collective action to make a difference on plastic bags, what is stopping it taking collective action to "make a difference" on wages?”

To do so will help provide New Zealanders with the "ethical" shopping options that are being increasingly demanded by consumers around the world," Maxine Gay said.

ENDS

Contact:

NDU Media liaison Simon Oosterman on 021 922 551
NDU Retail Secretary Maxine Gay on 021 975 580