25/03/19

A sea of 60 call-centre workers will stride through Britomart, downtown Auckland City today in their fight to share awareness of their pay and work conditions.

It became evident at a strike earlier this month that the company is more concerned over picketers’ use of an Alec Baldwin cut out than the way staff are being treated (the American actor was paid large sums to be the face of GEM Visa and his image used to be throughout the call centre offices in Auckland City).

The Latitude Finance (provider of GEM Visa) workers will hang up their phones and take to the streets to strike once again to bring the company back to the table after it publicly stated it would and then refused to meet with workers.

The current offer from the company is 3% which workers have been told is the one and only offer (not a negotiation).

The strike will take place at 1pm at 9 Tangihua St in the city. Media are invited to attend.

FIRST Union Organiser Kate Davis says staff are angry the company has gone back on its word.

“Staff are incredibly saddened that the company would refuse to negotiate after saying publicly that it would, the conditions and pay the workers are trying to settle are basic income claims.”

She says the pay offer is less than $5 dollars a day which won’t pay for parking for one day let alone keep up with Auckland’s living costs or the increases relative to the minimum wage increase.

“The increase of 3% would equate to around $20 dollars a week, that’s not enough for a day’s parking, let alone living costs in Auckland city. Latitude needs to do better and look after its workers. We hope the procession of Alec Baldwin heads will communicate this because it’s evident that they don’t know how a negotiation works: one offer is not negotiation!”

ENDS

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