Meatworker unions to merge

The country's two meatworkers unions are joining forces to give their members more industrial might.

The Palmerston North-based Meat Union Aotearoa is to become a branch of the Christchurch-based New Zealand Meatworkers Union, giving it a combined national workforce of about 22,000 workers.

The deal is subject to a membership vote. The unions have been talking about amalgamation for the past two years.

"We have been trying to have one meatworkers' union for 100 years, and the amalgamation has now been done without rancour or argument," Meat Union Aotearoa's vice president Roger Middlemass said.

There has been a good working relationship between the two, he said, but two unions working closely together is not the same as one.

The single union means there will be more sharing of information, the workforce will get more information, and the unions will more effectively plan bargaining strategies, the unions say.

"The four main meat companies, PPCS, Alliance, ANZCO and AFFCO all operate in both islands and a single union means common ground for workers across the country," he said.

There will be no change to union representatives.

About 9000 meatworkers will vote on the proposal before October, but Meat Union Aotearoa is expecting support from its workforce.

- nzpa