|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Open Country Cheese Dispute11 September 20094 previous media releases re OCC Media Release: Dairy Workers Union
Thursday September 10 2009
"Despite the company fudging this dispute by saying that wages are the central issue, there is no wage claim at all on the table right now," James Ritchie, National Secretary of the Dairy Workers Union said. "The sticking points are hours of work and roster changes, redundancy and restructuring protection, length of time temporary workers serve and their ratio to permanent workers, and paid meal breaks." "Open Country Cheese has made it clear that they want to seasonalise the dairy workforce. Most workers would have no security of employment, but would work as seasonal and temporary workers with large gaps in their income during parts of the year." "The company also wants to push through major roster changes, that would mean that at short notice a worker could be required to work 12 hours a day for 6 days in a row, by changing their shift from 4 days on - 4 days off, to 6 days on - 3 days off." "This would be highly disruptive for workers, who have childcare and other commitments to think about. This is a big change which the workers are rightly concerned about, especially in the current economic climate." "Open Country Cheese needs to stop being distracted by its over-the-top lockout threats and the setting up of a front employment agency to avoid bargaining collectively, and instead come to the table with a willingness to look at the workers' very real concerns about their job security," James Ritchie said. Ends. For further comment: James Ritchie: (021) 554-994 Media Release: Dairy Workers Union Wednesday September 9 2009 Job security for workers off the menu at Open Country Cheese The Dairy Workers Union has slammed the mean-spirited attempts by Talleys-owned Open Country Cheese to casualise its workforce in the middle of a recession. "At a time when many workers are anxious about their security of work, Open Country Cheese has in recent weeks set up a bogus employment agency specifically to keep the workforce casualised and avoid union representation," said James Ritchie, National Secretary of the Dairy Workers Union. "Now it is threatening permanent workers with a six week lockout." "Open Country Cheese's heavy-handed response to the workers' attempts at job security and protection goes against the basic Kiwi sense of fairness." "The company is running a misinformation campaign with farmers. The main issues at stake are not pay - this dispute centres on security of hours and protections against being turned into temporary workers." The workers' main outstanding issues are:
The union and the company are in mediation today. 8 September 2009 For Immediate Release Open Country Cheese to Lockout Workers for Six Weeks Open Country Cheese publicly calls for restrictions on the Right to Strike in the dairy industry, then it issues a six week lockout notice to union members at its factory at Waharoa. The lockout notices clearly spell out the company position. "Stay out the gate until the end of October or beg for your job back on the Company's terms." The lockouts are a further attempt to intimidate workers into submission. OCC Chairman Laurie Margrain has called for dairy to be made an essential industry to restrict the right to strike. The fact is that dairy is already an essential industry and requires 14 days notice of strike action to give the parties the ability to settle disputes before any damage is done. No strikes in 20 years is testament to the actions of the Dairy Workers Union and other industry employers in negotiating for the success of the industry. OCC wants to operate without applying the normal employment standards in the industry to drive down labour costs. Instead of threatening workers and playing politics, the company should direct its efforts to negotiating a fair and reasonable collective agreement with its workers who have chosen the Dairy Workers Union to represent them. MEDIA RELEASE - DAIRY WORKERS UNION 3 September 2009 For Immediate Release Strike Notice issued in Dairy Industry Workers at Waharoa Open Country Cheese site in the Waikato have voted for strike action because of a refusal by the Company to negotiate a fair collective agreement. Members of the New Zealand Dairy Workers Union Te Runanga Wai U, employed at the factory, are set to strike for eight days from 16 September in an effort to gain a collective agreement and be treated fairly by their employer. The Union is attending further negotiations with the Company with the assistance of a Mediator on Wednesday 9 September in an effort to reach agreement and avoid a strike. The union and workers recognise the current difficult economic situation. We have modified our negotiating position by not claiming an across the board wage increase but are seeking better work conditions around restructuring , protecting hours of work and improving work conditions, and improving conditions for temporary workers. It is our belief that the company has set up a "sham" employment agency and has employed a large number of temporary/oncall workers to undermine collective negotiations and in the process risking the quality of the finished product. Due to the company's aggressive anti union anti worker stance the Union has already taken a case to the Employment Relations Authority with the Union winning the right to be onsite to represent workers. We also have ongoing legal action relating to the company's intimidation of workers. The NZDWU has a long history of working cooperatively with employers in the industry for mutual success and has not undertaken major industrial action for 20 years. The Union will do its utmost to find a settlement at mediation to avoid disruption and calls on the company to negotiate a collective agreement in good faith. Contact: James Ritchie, National Secretary Telephone: 07 8390239 Mobile 021 554994 |
|
| NZ DAIRY WORKERS UNION | PO BOX 9046 Hamilton | Ph: 07 839 0239 | Email: nzdwu@nzdwu.org.nz | Web: www.nzdwu.org.nz |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
