Yesterday workers at the Pak ‘n Save supermarket on Lincoln Road in Auckland held a picket as part of their campaign to get an improved employment agreement. The site was unionised last year by the National Distribution Union and the collective agreement has came up for renewal. the supermarket is one of the largest and most profitable in New Zealand yet the staff are payed close to the minimum wage.

According to The Spark “The tooting from the public was deafening.” A number of police arrived and tried to tell the union they couldn’t hold their picket, despite the action being entirely peaceful and legal. Pak n’ Save has tried to issue trespass orders against union officials, but they have refused to accept the notices which cannot supersede the union workplace access rights in the Employment Relations Act.

The Pak n’ Save picket follows an action last week where workers from Auckland Farmers stores walked off the job and protested by staging a “Skinny Santa” parade protest down Queen Street. Farmers is one of the sponsors of the official Santa Parade held at this time every year. The Council of Trade Unions described the company as a ‘Christmas Grinch‘

Leading into Christmas, most of the Farmers workers have been offered a pay increase of 20 cents an hour, or less in some cases. These loyal workers at the retail chain deserve better, and we’re calling on Farmers to stop being the Christmas Grinch, and come back to the negotiations with an offer that respects the worth of their workforce.

NDU Retail Sector Secretary Maxine Gay said in a press release that the protest is a chance for low paid workers in Auckland to show they are fed up with struggling to make ends meet. Members of the Unite Union in the fast food industry also joined the parade.