Farmers suspends striking staff
First Union has accused Farmers of heavy-handed intimidation tactics as some striking workers were given suspension notices for protesting pay conditions.
Hundreds of the department-store chain’s staff members around the country went on strike between 12pm and 5pm yesterday, demanding a fairer pay and performance review system.
As eight workers walked off the job in Palmerston North, they were given letters suspending them without pay for the duration of the protests, or until they returned to work.
More suspensions were handed out at Gisborne, New Plymouth, Wellington and Rangiora but not in other cities.
First Union’s Palmerston North organiser, Dion Martin, said the notices were heavy-handed and an intimidation tactic.
‘‘[Farmers] are upping the ante when they just don’t need to,’’ he said.
It was unusual for Farmers workers to go on strike, and a sign of how fed-up they were, Martin said.
‘‘Many [on strike] are loyal, longterm employees – some have been with Farmers for 30 years.’’
Workers at 55 stores walked out for varying periods and union members held pickets at 11 stores.
The union claims 80 per cent of Farmers workers are being paid under the living wage, typically starting out on or near the minimum wage ($16.50 an hour).
For most roles, the pay scale ended at about $17.50 an hour and any pay increases from there were obtained only through performance reviews.
In New Plymouth about 50 staff members marched through the city centre to raise awareness.
Kaye Hearfield, central region organiser for First Union, said none of the marchers had taken part in an industry strike before.
‘‘It’s very empowering. We’ve got workers that have been employed anything from four months through to 35 years,’’ she said.
Martin said the performance pay reviews represented an unfair system, and Farmers was the only retail chain to use it. The rest offered annual raises based on seniority.
Farmers initially declined to comment, but the company’s acting chief executive, Michael Power, said in a statement that discussions were ongoing.
‘‘Whilst the union have decided to embark on strike action, Farmers is continuing good faith dialogue with them and would prefer to bargain directly with the union rather than through the media.’’
One Farmers employee, who didn’t want to be named, said far from being intimidated, they found the suspension notices amusing and faintly ridiculous, as it lifted as soon as they returned to work.
‘‘We can’t understand why they are doing [that].’’
Another worker said the chain’s performance standards were arbitrary and subjective, and far more dependent on how well workers got on with their managers than how well they did their job.
‘‘We deserve decent pay – we’re all worth so much more than [the bare minimum].’’