Wendy's workers to strike after negotiations break down

Friday, 25 May 2018

Some Wendy's restaurant workers around the country will strike over the weekend following a breakdown in negotiations for a new collective agreement.

Unite Union has issued Wendco, the company behind the fast food chain, with a strike notice covering 6am Saturday to midnight Sunday.

Any strike action is likely to be intermittent and limited to peak times.

The union accuses Wendco of cutting its member's usual hours by as much as 20 per cent after the most recent collective agreement expired on May 21.

**READ MORE:

* Workers, MP fight zero-hour contracts at Wendy's fast food

* Hospitality, construction and retail sectors most penalised for employment breaches**

'This is a vicious attack on the very limited income these workers already receive,' Unite national director Mike Treen said.

Company chief executive Danielle Lendich labelled Treen's comment's 'misleading and inaccurate' and said the parties had worked collaboratively throughout the negotiations.

'Unite likes to strike, it is a political statement.'

After the collective expired, Unite members were transferred onto individual agreements with the same terms and conditions as the previous collective.

Workers were guaranteed under the collective a certain number of hours equivalent to 80 per cent of the hours they had worked over the previous quarter.

In a memo to union members on Tuesday, Lendich said workers would still get their 80 per cent, but would have to apply for additional hours by filling out a form.

Unite characterised this as a cut and expressed doubt much additional work would be approved, but Lendish said legally Wendco could only require union members to work their guaranteed hours.

'Many Unite members have volunteered and are likely to get their 100 per cent when the roster is confirmed on Tuesday next week.'

Lendish said the company had offered 100 per cent guaranteed hours as part of the new collective, and blamed Unite for 'putting us and their members in this predicament'. 

Treen claimed Wendco was refusing to put clauses into the new collective guaranteeing staff received an alternative holiday for working on a public holiday, among other sticking points.

The company had been calculating whether workers were entitled to a day in lieu for working on a public holiday if they had worked the same day the previous three weeks.

The Employment Relations Authority, in a determination last November, ruled the model was flawed and that workers had missed out on their entitlements.

It ordered the company to calculate any lieu days and arrears owed to past and current employees going back to 2012.

Treen alleged Wendco had yet to follow through.

Lendish said Unite was aware the company was working with the Labour Inspectorate to resolve the issue.