ANZ workers picket cricket international

Photo / FIRST Union

ANZ workers and their union picketed an international cricket match sponsored by the bank today in the face of proposed changes to their collective agreement.

Workers handed out lollies, stickers and leaflets to cricket fans as they entered Seddon Park in Hamilton to watch the Black Caps take on South Africa in the Labour Day match.

Maxine Gay, retail and finance secretary of First Union, said the workers were raising awareness about the proposed changes to the collective agreement that would result in flexible shifts for the workforce.

"The bank positions itself as being part of our community through corporate sponsorship programmes such as NZ Cricket and the Black Caps.

"Yet ANZ is actively promoting a proposal which would leave bank workers with jobs that they cannot plan their lives around, by chopping and changing their days and start times month by month," Ms Gay said.

Ms Gay said ANZ workers have been prepared to allow up to 20 per cent of the workforce to be flexible, but ANZ demanded that every new worker starts on the insecure work contract.

"First Union members at ANZ remained committed to concluding negotiations for a renewed employment agreement, but ANZ needed to show its workers some respect and offer a decent wage increase and pull back from its plan to increase job insecurity," she said.

Comment was sought from ANZ but a spokesman was not immediately available.