Double blow for union in supermarket row

Michael James, 11, ponders the gaps in the sweets display at Foodtown Dominion Rd. Picture / Jenna Dixon

One of the unions behind about 600 supermarket distribution workers involved in a dispute with Progressive Enterprises yesterday suffered a double blow, with an injunction bid denied and reports that some striking staff had returned to work.

The National Distribution Union had sought an Employment Court interim injunction to prevent Progressive from using stand-in workers to deliver products to its supermarkets - a practice the union said was illegal.

Progressive denied the charge and yesterday an Employment Court judge refused the injunction, referring the request to a hearing next week.

Union national secretary Laila Harre said the decision was obviously disappointing.

The judge had acknowledged the difficulty in compiling evidence on whether Progressive had engaged stand-in staff, she said.

The workers walked off the job on August 25 over a pay dispute. Progressive locked them out three days later.

Mediation between the two parties has failed to find a resolution - the workers want a national collective agreement to cover the country's four distribution centres but Progressive said the agreements were historically and necessarily separate.

The company also says 42 of 93 workers in Palmerston North have returned to work.

Managing director Marty Hamnett said the developments were encouraging for the sake of all the company's 18,000-plus staff and their families, as well as for its suppliers and customers.

Combined Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said Progressive was trying to "starve" workers into submission.

"The union movement won't tolerate this bullying."

Green Party MP Keith Locke said members had started contributing money to the distribution workers' cause and the organisation intended to raise funds nationally.

- NZPA, STAFF REPORTER