Project Invigorate is winding its way into its final phase with delegates in region 1 and 3 having received training in how to assist team members deal with it at well attended training sessions in Dunedin and Wellington.Launch meetings have been held in both regions and blue line rosters will be presented from September 16 - 20. The union will have organisers present at as many of these meetings as possible.

http://www.warehouseworker.org.nz/files/WhatIsProjectInvigorate.pdf

The Warehouse reported in it’s latest Invigorate Update that NDU organiser Bill Bradford had denied an allegation that he talked about a Kaikohe Warehouse worker going to mediation.
Given that no Kaikohe workers went to mediation and Bill has been at every one, it is clear that the quality of company spies attending union meetings is very low.
The union has recommended that The Warehouse recalls it’s faulty stock and that no bonus be paid out to spies for failing to meet their performance requirements.

The NDU met with The Warehouse on the 2nd and 3rd of September to bargaining a new collective agreement. Instead of sensibly discussing issues raised and voted on by workers across the country, the company simply outlined its wish-list for workers for the next four years. If you think Project Invigorate was bad, imagine if the company could do Project Invigorate every day.

The Warehouse wants to:

• Remove the words “fair and consistent terms and conditions” from your employment agreement
• Continue pay-discrimination against temporary and casual workers

Understaffing is a part of “The Warehouse Way”, but no store feels it worse than Kaikohe.
Project Invigorate reduced staff from 42 to 18.
Union members raised concerns about stress levels, ran health and safety meetings and met with regional managers, but got no where.
It wasn’t until store delegate Sheryl was in the local newspaper that the store got four more staff members.
“It was an eye opener for the company. We didn’t just complain, we did something about it and spoke to the media.”

Source: Manawatu Standard

A drive to cut labour costs and change worker hours at The Warehouse has come to Palmerston North, Feilding and Levin, affecting scores of staff.

Project Invigorate involves the creation of a lean new roster after consultation with workers.

The project has been implemented at other cities, such as Christchurch and Auckland and is part of a broader campaign to cut $30 million from the company's costs base.

This is the newsletter for the National Distribution Union at The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery. Check out our campaign website at www.warehouseworker.org.nz (You can subscribe and unsubscribe to this newsletter from the front page of this website)

In this issue:
* Bargaining Process Agreed
* Store D get proper shift change process
* Union runs first WOC meetings
* National delegate phone conference
* In brief

Download this newsletter as a full-colour printable A4 PDF newsletter here:

Central - Wellington Regional Delegates Conference 2009

The Newsletter for the National Distribution Union campaign at The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery. Check out our campaign website at www.warehouseworker.org.nz (You can subscribe and unsubscribe to this newsletter from the front page of this website)

In this issue:
* Bargaining Process Begins - important information for NDU members who are also in the WPU

Source: Mike Barrington, Northern Advocate

Bernard Monk. Picture/John Stone

Barber Bernard Monk is upset over being walled in by The Warehouse, with a high barrier "killing" his Cutting Shed hairdressing business in the Big Red Shed at Whangarei.

The NDU has formally started the bargaining process with The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery.

This involved an initiation letter being sent to the company to let them know that we are starting the bargaining process and who the union intends to cover in the agreement: everyone who works at The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery, except for Store Managers, who are members of the NDU.

We are not waiting for a response from the company including dates for bargaining.

The Warehouse Group says its moves to reduce labour costs and improve productivity were not significant enough to warrant a separate disclosure to the sharemarket.

But the National Distribution Union estimates the labour savings will be the equivalent of about 600 full-time jobs at The Warehouse.

The Warehouse is running a productivity and labour costs initiative called Project Invigorate.

Chief financial officer Luke Bunt said the scheme was partly to train staff to generate more sales.