Hundreds of Countdown workers to strike in Auckland as pay negotiations stall
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
About 700 Countdown workers are going on strike from midnight on Tuesday, affecting two of the company's Auckland distribution centres.
The action follows the supermarket chain rejecting pay increases in line with the consumer price index (CPI) during bargaining for a new collective agreement.
The consumer price index, a measure of inflation, jumped to 3.3 per cent in the year to June, the biggest increase in nearly 10 years. It had run at an annual rate of 1.5 per cent for the preceding quarters.
First Union organiser Olly Paegotau said workers were seeking the pay increase to cover the rising costs of living in the city. They wanted a one-year term for the new deal because of the “uncertainty of the present climate”.
**READ MORE:
* KiwiRail workers to strike for two days in December in support of a wage increase
* The Warehouse 'disappointed' 270 distribution centre workers have chosen to strike
* 'Underpaid' Pak 'n Save Richmond workers to go on strike
**
“It’s pretty simple – these people have been busier than ever before and working harder than they’ve ever worked. And now it’s time to sign a deal, all they want is a fair pay rise that covers increasing costs of living,” Paegotau said.
Strike action was the “last resort” after negotiations had been “very one-sided” and workers felt they weren’t being listened to or taken seriously, he said.
Their goal was to get the company back to the bargaining table and “negotiate a fair deal”, not to disrupt operations or impact the food supply chain, he said.
“We know the company is making more money than ever during this crisis, but it seems like they don’t want to fairly reward the people who make all that profit possible, even when they’re struggling to afford to live in the city they work in.”
The strike action will continue until Friday midnight.
Countdown has been approached for comment.