Farmers hands striking workers suspension notices

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Hawkes Bay retail workers and union members picket the Napier Farmers store for better pay.

First Union has accused Farmers of heavy-handed intimidation tactics as some striking workers were given suspension notices for protesting pay conditions.

Hundreds of Farmers staff around the country went on strike between 12pm and 5pm on Thursday, demanding a fairer pay and performance review system.

FIRST Union organiser Kate Davis at a strike by Farmers workers in St Lukes, Auckland, joining other walkoffs and pickets at Farmers stores around the country.

As eight workers walked off the job in Palmerston North, they were given letters suspending them without pay for the duration of the protests, or until they returned to work.

More suspensions were handed out at Gisborne, New Plymouth, Wellington and Rangiora but not in other cities.

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Hundreds of Farmers workers went on strike to protest low wages across the country on Thursday afternoon.

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First Union's Palmerston North organiser Dion Martin said the notices were heavy-handed and an intimidation tactic.

'[Farmers] are upping the ante when they just don't need to,' Martin said.

About 50 workers from Farmers protest on the streets of New Plymouth.

It was unusual for Farmers staff to go on strike, and a sign of how fed-up they were, he said.

'Many [on strike] are loyal, long-term employees, some have been with Farmers for 30 years.

Staff at 55 Farmers stores walked out for varying periods and union members held pickets at 11 stores.

The union claims 80 per cent of Farmers workers are being paid under the living wage, typically starting out on or near the minimum wage ($16.50).

First Union organiser Dion Martin said Farmers handing suspension notices to striking workers was an unnecessary escalation of the dispute.

For most roles, the pay scale ended around $17.50 and any pay increases from there were obtained only through performance pay reviews.

In New Plymouth about 50 staff marched through the city centre to raise awareness.

Suspension notices were handed out at a number of Farmer's sites including Rangiora (pictured).

Kaye Hearfield, central region organiser for First Union, said none of the marchers had taken part in an industry strike before.

'It's very empowering,' she said.

'We've got workers that have been employed anything from four months through to 35 years.'

Martin said it was an unfair system, and Farmers was the only retail chain to use it. The rest offered annual raises based on seniority.

Farmers initially declined to comment, but the company's acting chief executive Michael Power said in a statement that discussions were ongoing.

'Whilst the union have decided to embark on strike action, Farmers is continuing good faith dialogue with them and would prefer to bargain directly with the union rather than through the media.'

One Farmers employee, who didn't want to be named, said far from being intimidated, they found the suspension notices amusing and faintly ridiculous, as it lifted as soon as they returned to work.

'We can't understand why they are doing [that].'

Another worker said the chain's performance standards were arbitrary and subjective, and far more dependent on how well workers got on with their managers than how well they did their job.

'We deserve decent pay, we're all worth so much more than [the bare minimum].'