Photo: Ziming Li
Nearly 10,000 Woolworths supermarket workers have voted for initial strike action over low wage offers and unsafe staffing levels.
FIRST Union said the vote followed nine days of bargaining with the employer that is ruling out a living wage and has no desire to address understaffing issues.
National organiser for retail food Ross Lampert said 95 percent of members voted in favour of striking, with a smaller group of members across 10 key Woolworths stores nationwide also voting for an additional action.
He said the issues at stake were a living wage, safer staffing levels, and increased penalty rates for night and weekend work, which were common in other jobs that required people to work unsociable hours.
The three actions involved non-compliance with media and social media policies, the wearing of a strike sticker on work uniforms, and for members of 10 specific stores handing out "receipt"-style flyers to customers in stores.
The actions were designed by the union's bargaining team to be inclusive and solidarity-building ahead of any potentially more disruptive actions.
"This is a case of one of the largest and most profitable businesses in New Zealand deciding that their workers no longer deserve a fair deal and must accept whatever they put on the table - it just doesn't work that way," Lampert said.
"Our members are seeking a living wage, safe staffing minimum standards and fair compensation for giving up family and leisure time to work understaffed night and weekend shifts."
FIRST Union said a recent report showed Woolworths wages had fallen behind new arrivals to the New Zealand market like Costco and some Foodstuffs sites around the country who are paying staff a minimum living wage.
The current Woolworths start rate is $24.93 per hour, while Costco is paying new staff $27 per hour and Foodstuffs sites like Pak'n Save Kilbirnie has a start rate of $26 per hour.
A recent survey by FIRST Union found 90.8 percent of respondents said their stores were understaffed, either "sometimes" (36.2 percent) "regularly" (30 percent) or "continuously" (24.7 percent).
Woolworths has been contacted for comment.
