Farmers staff want living wage

LIVING WAGE: Almost all of Gisborne Farmers staff went on strike for the afternoon yesterday in support of their call to be paid the Living Wage and for an end to the performance review process built into their collective agreement. They made their presence felt in a noisy picket outside the store on the Gladstone Road-Bright Street corner. Picture by Paul Rickard

Strikers from the Farmers store in Gisborne have called on the company to appreciate them more and pay them the New Zealand living wage.

They took their industrial action to the main street outside the store yesterday afternoon.

Fifteen Gisborne staff, all members of First Union, held a noisy picket outside the store from midday and got plenty of support from the horns of passing motorists.

The Gisborne workers joined staff from Farmers stores across the country, who withdrew their labour for the afternoon over low pay and what they consider to be unfair pay reviews.

“It’s 2018 and Farmers need to keep up with the times,” one striking worker said.

“We have a staff member who has been with the company for 30 years and is still on less than $20 an hour.”

Another striker said the staff deserved more pay.

“It’s a kick in the guts that they think we are only worth what they offered us.”

First Union organiser Colleen Ryan said Farmers workers were unhappy with the continuation of a performance review process built into their collective agreement.

“The company is not offering a significant pay rise and what they are offering is linked to performance.

“The staff will not get a pay rise unless they meet the performance requirements Farmers has set,” she said.

“Farmers workers typically start on or near the minimum wage ($16.50).

For most roles, the pay scale ends around $17.50 and any pay increases from there are obtained only through performance pay reviews.

“Farmers members believe the performance pay review system is unfair and they have handed in a more than 600-strong petition to management asking for the living wage ($20.55 an hour) and an end to the performance pay system.”

“Farmers’ management do not appreciate us enough,” said another taking strike action.

“We deserve to be paid the living wage.”

The Gisborne store remained open during the stoppage.

“They brought in staff from the Bay of Plenty and security officers to keep the store open,” Mrs Ryan said.

The striking staff were each handed, one by one, suspension notices as they left the store yesterday.

“The notices said they were suspended from work until such time as they returned to work.

“The staff who took part in the industrial action all knew they were not going to be paid while they were on strike anyway — so I don’t see the point of the suspension notices.”

The same notices were handed out to staff in a number of other Farmers stores, but it has been reported that did not happen in every store when staff went on strike.

Ninety-three percent of the union’s nationwide membership within Farmers voted in favour of strike action over the issues.