The Employment Relations Authority has ordered Talley's to pay two meat workers $38,700 after they were reprimanded for distributing a Meat Workers Union newsletter.
The ERA found Katrina Murray was subjected to unjustified action and unjustified dismissal and her co-worker Cliff Kruskopk was unfairly giving a formal warning for sharing a union newsletter around the workplace.
Both incidents happened at the Talley's owned South Pacific Meats plant in Awarua, Invercargill.
Meat Workers Union Otago Southland Branch president Daryl Carran said union membership has been strongly resisted by Talley's.
"No one should have to go through what these two workers went through to exercise their lawful rights to belong to a union," Carran said in a statement.
"It's great these two workers have seen some justice and it will give other workers in Talley's firms who want to join the union more confidence that their rights are protected by NZ laws."
The company was recently fined $144,000 for breaches of union access requirements to these sites.
