Unite wins back pay for KFC worker

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, August 15th, 2015 - 5 comments
Categories: business, Unions, workers' rights - Tags: , ,

As reported on Stuff:

Samantha Wilson, 18, was supposed to be rostered a minimum of 22 hours per week in early August.

But Wilson noticed that she was only rostered for 12 hours over two shifts.

Her last pay was $95. Wilson says that makes it impossible to pay her $150 board, food and start paying off her debt.

“This week was the least I’ve ever been paid. I really just wanted a job I didn’t think I was going to have this many issues.”

Wilson told her Unite delegate Kalein Howard and they approached managment at KFC to see if it could be remedied.

“We gave [them] a chance to fix it,” Wilson says.

“We didn’t go straight to head office. [they] tried to deny it so much. That’s when we decided to take it to our union.”

KFC, owned by Restaurant Brands, agreed to backpay Wilson for the remaining ten hours not rostered under the new guaranteed minimum hours system.

Unite organiser Gary Cranston says this is possibly the first time the zero hours clause has resulted in payment.

Solidarity with Samantha Wilson and Unite!

5 comments on “Unite wins back pay for KFC worker ”

  1. Tory 2

    Does that also include solidarity with the IRD to ensure business responsibilities are on a par with worker representation?

    • McFlock 2.1

      IRD don’t need solidarity – they have statutory powers and investigators.

      A casualised workforce has neither, so needs to join together.

    • georgecom 2.2

      Are you suggesting KFC do not pay their fair share of taxes Tory?
      We would all expect them to wouldn’t we.
      If not, like you I do hope/expect IRD get on to it.

  2. Skinny 3

    Good work brother Garry and the Unite crew!
    Looks like I am going to need you, Joe and the crew for a picket up here soon. Will be in touch soon comrades.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.