South Island Foodstuffs Workers Strike Again
 

September 12, 2009

Workers employed by Foodstuffs in Christchurch will walk off the job and protest outside the Northlands Pak n Save at 2.30 pm today.

National Distribution Union southern regional secretary Paul Watson says his members are frustrated that while Foodstuffs South Island Limited recorded a profit of $227 million in 2009 and are paying their CEO a $920,000 salary they have offered no improvement in pay or conditions to workers.

“Our members employed by Foodstuffs South Island take home only $10.39 - $12.14 per hour.  This is not decent living wage and their employer can afford to pay much more,” he says.

“Foodstuffs main competitor Progressive Enterprises pays $5.00 an hour more for their Distribution Centre workers.”

NDU general secretary Robert Reid says John Key’s call yesterday for wage restraint yesterday will be seen as support for companies like Foodstuffs and ignores the difficulties families on low income are facing.

“It’s easy for the PM and company executives on high salaries to speak of curbing pay increases because of the recession but let them try and live on low pay for months on end.

“It shows a real bias against workers to make generalisations that workers need to suppress wage demands because of the recession but ignore the fact that some companies are doing very well and lining the pockets of their shareholders and senior executives.”

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