Warehouse Worker #12: Company offers 3 days extra sick leave to NDU members only

NDU Bargaining Update

• The National Distribution Union bargaining team has agreed to recommend The Warehouse’s latest bargaining offer.
• The union and company met for the 9th day of bargaining on December 21.
• The parties agreed to meet following a new offer by The Warehouse just as the union was planning a day of action, which was postponed.
• The union’s bargaining team has agreed to take the company’s offer back to union members and is recommending workers vote to accept it.
• Every NDU member has the right to vote for or against the company’s offer.
• The union will run ratification meetings in all stores next February when the majority of staff have returned from holidays and can have a say.
• The agreement will be accepted or rejected by a 50%+1 vote.
• Workers can’t take industrial action (including leafleting) until the ratification meetings have ended.

The company’s offer

If members ratify the agreement:
• NDU members will get an extra three sick days guaranteed each year that no one else will get. This is an opportunity for signing up more members.
• Discretionary Sick Leave will be reduced from 10 to 7 days and the wording will be included in the collective agreement. (It is currently unprotected in The Warehouse Way.)
• They have agreed to a new union access clause that would guarantee the union’s rights to visit worksites regardless of any future law change.
• The NDU and company will set up two “working parties” to discuss workloads and appraisals (which the WPU will be invited to join.)
• All union members will have the right to make a 15 minute presentation at one of the eight regional meetings on workload. Union members who can’t attend the regional meetings will be able to make a video or a written submission.
• A similar process will be run for the appraisals working party.
• The company has made some commitments around replacing absent workers during peak trading (such as at Easter).
• The company has dropped its previous offer of increasing sick leave accumulation from 20 days to 25 days.
• There is no extra staff for Xmas or any monetary compensation for Xmas workload.
• There is no nightfill allowance.

What would signing the agreement mean?

• By signing an agreement NDU-only members will be bound by the collective agreement and will not be able to take industrial action until August 1 2009.
• Ex-WPU members will remained locked into their existing agreement but will get the extra 3 days sick leave.
• The agreement will expire at the same time as the WPU agreement. Workers will be bound by first “initiated” collective agreement. If the WPU initiates first, workers who are still members of the WPU will be locked into whatever they agree to (i.e. they could agree to another three year deal.)
• If dual NDU/WPU members resign from the WPU they will only be bound by what the NDU agrees to.
• New Warehouse staff will be bound by the collective agreement covering the most union members for the first 30 days of their employment.

Why should we agree to it?

• August has always been our main goal. August is when we will have the main fight around wages and better working conditions. This is the time when all of our members (including those currently locked into the WPU) will have more bargaining power.
• The bargaining team’s goal for this bargaining “step” was to get something that puts us in a stronger position for bargaining in August.
• The bargaining team agrees that the company current offer on its own is not as good as we are aiming but in terms of our long term strategy we are better off agreeing to it because it will put us in a stronger position for August. We will get more members and we will get a concrete result for the action taken by members (see below.)
• In this way, as a stepping stone, the bargaining team recommends we accept the deal.
• The union will back members vote whichever way it goes.

What is the alternative?

• The other option is for the union to continue its industrial campaign through to June when the majority of our union members will be able to participate in the bargaining.
• Because Xmas gave us more bargaining power, we would have to increase the number of stores involved in leafleting, picketing and taking industrial action to get a better offer out of the company.
• It is more likely that the action would drag out to June without any visible gains.
• The bargaining team feels this is not the best option for us to take.

How did we get this offer?

• We only got this new offer because union members were willing to stand up and be counted.
• Almost every store helped us distribute 30,000 leaflets. A number of stores held protests outside their stores; a large number held go-slows and work to rules and the following stores staged walk-out strikes: Airport, Balmoral, Botany Downs, Hamilton Central, Manukau, Newmarket, Morrinsville; Sylvia Park and Westgate.
• Thank-you for all those workers who participated in making a difference at The Warehouse.

■ More information visit http://warehouseworker.org.nz/?q=warehouse-worker-12-company-offers-3-da... where you can leave a comment.

Members Support Centre Xmas hours

The membership support centre will be closed on December 25, 26, 27 and 28 and January 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

0800 438 638 (GET NDU)

Merry Xmas from everyone at the NDU!

Yours,
Simon Oosterman,
NDU Warehouse Organiser