Talley's Affco Turns Down Offer to End Meat Worker Strikes

Talley's Affco Turns Down Offer to End Meat Worker Strikes

The Meat Worker's Union says Talley's rejected a plan to end all industrial action at Affco.

The parties met for a second day in the latest round of mediation in South Auckland today.

Meat Worker's Union general secretary Dave Eastlake says Talley's won't guarantee it will lift the lockout on all Affco meat workers and presented previously unseen negotiation demands.

“Talley's Affco rejected the union's offer to lift all industrial action on the basis the company guarantees to let all locked out workers go back to work in two weeks,” he says. “Talley's said it wants the union to guarantee workers will stop striking in solidarity with locked out family members and co-workers, but the company won't themselves guarantee to let all locked out workers return to work.”

Mr Eastlake says the company's plan would allow it to get the numbers it needs to run its plants properly and extend the suffering of those families that are still locked out if it wanted.

Talley's Affco also presented previously unseen demands and a new collective agreement in mediation today, he says.

"We haven't had a chance to go through the new collective agreement yet,  but we can confirm they've removed the entire security of employment clause and have included a new clause that appears to give them the ability to fire union members they don't like, which is unlawful.”

The company will lift the lockout notice on 300 workers at 5am Wednesday tomorrow morning. Two-thirds of  these workers are from the Feilding and Whanganui plants.

Mr Eastlake says these workers don't legally have to return to work because they are covered by the union's existing strike notice.

The union will run  meetings at 3pm tomorrow at all eight plants in Moerewa, Wiri, Horotiu, Rangiuru, Wairoa, Feilding and Whanganui to discuss today's mediation.

The Employment Authority yesterday announced the union's challenge to the legality of the lockout will be heard at the Auckland Employment Court from 9am on May 16 for five days.

ENDS

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