You are hereWarehouse Worker #10: Company's proposal overwhelmingly rejected
Warehouse Worker #10: Company's proposal overwhelmingly rejected
Warehouse Worker #10: Company's proposal overwhelmingly rejected
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:
* Company's proposal overwhelmingly rejected
* Resolution passed for weekly 50c campaign fund
* Change of hours/days process
* Your rights: public holidays
* In brief: Quote of the month, Warehouse T-Shirt re-write and Obituary
Download this newsletter as a full-colour printable A4 PDF newsletter here:
http://warehouseworker.org.nz/files/TheWarehouseWorker10web.pdf
Company's proposal overwhlemingly rejected
99% of union members attending recent store meetings voted in favour of rejecting The Warehouse’s current pay offer.
The company wants another three year deal with low pay increases and worse conditions than your existing agreement. The Warehouse’s proposal includes the right to Project Invigorate you when they want. They want the right to force you to increase/change your hours (up to a maximum of 10 hours in a day or 50 hours in a week) “temporarily” during peak trading times with only two weeks notice. They want to remove your right to challenge these changes and have your personal circumstances taken into account.
Workers were furious the company claims there is huge support for Project Invigorate and that it hasn’t resulted in increased workloads.
99% of union members voted for the union to start campaigning for a better deal and to bring the company back to the bargaining table with a meaningful offer for settlement.
This includes dropping all claw backs and allowing all NDU members to have a say as to what goes in their employment agreement beyond 2010 and not just those who have never been in the WPU.
The NDU has informed the company we will start campaigning around “decent work” (decent hours and job security) at a number of Warehouse stopwork meetings soon. Details of when and where will follow.
The union wants to restart bargaining on November 23 and 24.
Resolution passed for weekly 50c campaign fund
When the NDU came to The Warehouse we committed not to increase the fee (from $2.15 per week) unless members voted for an increase.
The meetings heard that the cost for helping workers during Project Invigorate and the ongoing mediations where members have been unhappy with their proposed hours or days of work is not covered by the union fee. That work has been subsidised by other low paid retail workers who pay the full union fee.
At the report back meetings 94% of members voted in favour of paying an extra 50c a week to help resource our campaign for respect and better wages and conditions at The Warehouse. This will start coming out of your pay in a few weeks time.
Change of hours/days process
The union recommends you take a union delegate (or union organiser) to any meeting about changing your hours of work over the Christmas period. The company says volunteers can ask to temporarily increase their days of work, but it won’t be seeking to change your days of work.
Individual agreement
(This covers non-union members and NDU members who aren’t members of the WPU or who left the WPU before August 1 2007)
1. Call for volunteers
2. If there aren’t enough volunteers the company will consult with each team member affected. The company must take on board your personal circumstances and endeavour to make a decision with as little disruption as practicable to your current hours
3. No changes will be made without a sign-off by the Regional Manager or Regional HR manager.
WPU collective agreement
(This covers current WPU members and ex-WPU members who left after August 1 2007)
1. Calls for volunteers
2. If there aren’t enough volunteers the company must let the union know of the changes
3. They must consult with each team member affected. Take a delegate or union organiser to this meeting.
4. The company must take on board your personal circumstances and endeavour to make a decision with as little disruption as practicable to your current hours
5. If you are unhappy with the changes you can ask the union to negotiate any changes with The Warehouse.
6. If you still aren’t happy with the proposed changes you can go to a Mediator from the Department of Labour who can make a binding decision if agreement isn’t reached voluntarily.
Additional rights for all workers:
■ Your total hours normally worked will not be reduced unless by mutual agreement and
■ No change will be implemented without at least two-weeks notice unless you agree to a shorter period.
Your rights: public holidays
The christmas public holidays are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and 2nd January.This year Boxing Day (26 Dec) and the 2nd January fall on a Saturday. This means that if you are scheduled to work the following Monday, you will be granted another whole holiday on pay.
■ Working on a public holiday is voluntary at The Warehouse
If it's your normal day of work:
■ And you work you are entitled to: Time and a half for all hours, including any overtime and allowances etc
■ And you don't work: you get paid your normal payment for the day
If it's not your normal day of work:
■ And you work you are entitled to: Time and a half for all hours, including any overtime and allowances etc
■ And you don't work: you don't get anything
Special day in lieu for permanent waged team members working five consecutive days
If you are a permanent part-time or full-time waged worker who works five consecutive days Sat-Wed or Sun-Thu and the public holiday is a Friday you are entitlted to an alternative holiday (day in lieu.) The same applies if you work Tue-Sat or Wed-Sun and the public holiday falls on a Monday.
In brief
Quote of the month:
■ An Auckland delegate says her manager tried to discipline her for failing to follow a “lawful and reasonable instruction.” The member replied: “I don’t refuse to do things, I just question why things should be done that way.”
Warehouse t-shirt re-write
■ You may have seen a Warehouse tshirt saying: “I can only please one person each day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn’t look good either.” Members in one store suggested adding the words at the top of the tshirt: “Due to Project Invigorate...”
Obituary
■ Sadly one of our organisers, Bruce Williams, died two weeks ago while organising bargaining report back meetings at the Snell’s Beach store. The fact that Bruce died undertaking work beyond his clothing and textile work was typical of him. He was the first to put his hand up to take on extra work and was helping organise the Warehouse on the North Shore. Our thanks go to the Snell’s Beach staff who kindly assisted Bruce and visited his family to tell them of his last moments.
Got something to say?
This newsletter goes up on noticeboards in every Warehouse across the country. Contact Simon Oosterman on 021 922 551 or simon.oosterman@ndu.org.nz
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