Victory for the workers at Cotton On

29 comments on “Victory for the workers at Cotton On ”

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1. Olwyn 1

   1 April 2015 at 3:10 pm

   Yuss! Go First Union! Go Robert Reid! Brilliant! Another glimmer of light.
   • weka 1.1

     1 April 2015 at 3:18 pm

     +1, some good news!

     What’s the significance of the Australian dude coming over?
     • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1

       1 April 2015 at 4:12 pm

       Experience negotiating with union reps? Perhaps the local managers have right wing brain syndrome.
       • Sanctuary 1.1.1.1

         1 April 2015 at 5:19 pm

         In my experience, NZ corporate managers are more often than you’d credit raving Thatcherite class warriors who have for an entire generation now grown accustomed to untrammeled workplace power. For this generation of NZ managers the idea of negotiating with a union is akin to negotiating with terrorists.

         Australian management often come from a more balanced environment, understand the social contract they have with workers and understand the role of unions, and therefore tend to treat them as legitimate negotiating partners.
         • KJT 1.1.1.1.1

           1 April 2015 at 9:09 pm

           NZ managers have gotten away with cost cutting, by cutting wages, for so long now, they haven’t learnt any other management competencies.

           Aussie ones still have to look at actually managing.
2. Rosie 2

   1 April 2015 at 3:46 pm

   What an achievement FIRST, there are some great gains in that agreement. Well done for hanging on in there and persisting. Tonight you can celebrate!
   • Skinny 2.1

     1 April 2015 at 4:41 pm

     +1 Collective muscle won through, helped along by the thousands ready to boycott and picket their stores.

     Another hiding for Key, must of considered wearing sunglasses in the House today, to cover up the black eye and bruises he has suffer lately.

     I see they are counter spinning on bad bosses, offering a slap with a wet bus ticket.
3. The Real Matthew 3

   1 April 2015 at 4:45 pm

   “National may have trumpeted their employment law reforms as being about “fairness” and “flexibility” but the public are quickly seeing through that …”

   This outcome would seem to be a perfect example of flexibility and fairness. Both sides brought a lot of ideas to the tables and they worked together to achieve a satisfactory outcome for both parties.

   I think this shows National has the balance about right.
   • Wynston 3.1

     1 April 2015 at 4:55 pm

     Umm … wasn’t there a strong public backlash against Cotton On’s actions/proposals somewhere along the line that led to it backing down? One can hardly call that “working together” other than in respect of the union and the public!
   • One Anonymous Bloke 3.2

     1 April 2015 at 5:33 pm

     The outcome wasn’t achieved by National, it was achieved only when the company went over the local managers’ heads and brought in someone competent at retaining good staff.
     • Jesus Wept 3.2.1

       1 April 2015 at 8:12 pm

       Do you do fencing (real?) Matthew. Think you got your bendy tip on us lefty chests huh.

       Nuh, what happened was, Postie and Cotton Off got a first taste of what happens when applying an ideology that has played on a neanderthal reaction from the kiwi darkside for too long, but actually did over something that grandad and grandma fought for (morning tea for Christ’s sake) and what do you get? That’s right, the National hack’s worst nightmare. Good press for real people supplied by an unscrupulous corporate realising that people might actually not buy their f#&king stuff. Wham bam Mutt.

       Robbie Reid you rock. Grew the economy a notch too, who’d a thunk it.
   • Skinny 3.3

     1 April 2015 at 7:52 pm

     Bit slow off the mark with an April fool joke coobah. This scumbag corporate clobber outfit got a clip around the ears. Personally I was hopeful that they held firm and let us enforce a boycott, would have sent a wider message to other bosses not to mess workers around.
   • Stephanie Rodgers 3.4

     1 April 2015 at 8:44 pm

     What absolute rubbish. It shouldn’t take massive public outcry and threats of a boycott for a company to give its workers basic minimum rest periods.

     Yet that’s the situation we have under National.
     • KJT 3.4.1

       1 April 2015 at 9:44 pm

       I hope Unite can do something for those who have already been on zero hours contracts without breaks for some time. My daughters barista class was told that breaks do not happen in the hospitality industry.

       The worst aspect I can see, is they are expected to be on call 7 days a week without pay and then have to be at work at a few hours notice, so they cannot have holidays, even if they could afford them. Taking on a portfolio of part time jobs is also impossible because of the uncertainty of hours.

       The employers have shifted the cost sf having workers “on call” to the workers.

       So far it seems to be rampant in Hospitality, Tourism, companies that hire out casual workers and fast food joints.

       The worst is yet to come as employees will be allowed to walk out of contract negotiations and bring in scabs.
       • weka 3.4.1.1

         1 April 2015 at 9:47 pm

         Yep, and it’s not just evil big employers. Small businesses run by otherwise decent people seem to think these practices are ok.
         • KJT 3.4.1.1.1

           1 April 2015 at 10:10 pm

           Often it is a case of being forced to the lowest common denominator to compete.

           The big fast food companies and the Labour hirer places set the standard.
     • Skinny 3.4.2

       1 April 2015 at 10:03 pm

       Yes and as you know Ms Rodgers it’s the likes of Barrnet & O’Reilly + EMA boss Kim Campbell that do these retail/fast food sweat shops bidding, by lobbying Nact for ‘more flexibility’ from workers. The cut both way diatribe is only window dressing for a gullible public. These greedy scumbags want so much flexibility workers wear leotards while working.

       While the CA is a win, it is also a lost opportunity for us to march into city’s & towns and picket and boycott Cotton On and march into every store in town making sure the slaves have support. We could have got every last one of them recruited into a Union, and the bosses would have been too shit scared to stop us. A retail sector CA. Teach the sons and daughters of the Tories (obviously not all are blue) they have been conned following mummy & daddy’s blue ribbon vote.
       • miravox 3.4.2.1

         1 April 2015 at 10:18 pm

         “While the CA is a win, it is also a lost opportunity for us to march into city’s & towns and picket and boycott Cotton On and march into every store in town making sure the slaves have support”

         However it’s a great opportunity to stress how public censure of bad management practises and how union involvement in negotiations can produce better outcomes. Congratulations to FIRST Union, the public who supported workers’ rights, Cotton On staff and the management who negotiated in good faith.

         Shame on the current government for creating the environment for the erosion of workers rights and I hope the management who used these provisions are demoted (or lose their contracts) and have nothing whatsoever to do with negotiations – ever.
4. Lionel 4

   1 April 2015 at 5:03 pm

   Well done that’s great news.
5. Ad 5

   1 April 2015 at 11:18 pm

   Totally awesome news!
   Unions forever.
6. Penny Bright 6

   2 April 2015 at 1:28 am

   Very good news.

   Penny Bright
7. Philip Ferguson 7

   2 April 2015 at 8:36 am

   There’s a good bit of info in the piece “Cotton On workers win pay and tea-break victory:
   https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/workers-at-cotton-on-win-pay-and-teabreak-victory/

   Phil
8. hoom 8

   2 April 2015 at 9:36 am

   Congrats to both sides: successful negotiation by Union & to Cotton On for coming to a more reasonable position.
9. fisiani 9

   2 April 2015 at 3:47 pm

   So the correct position is that there was never any risk to the workers tea breaks and it was just a media beat up by the Union and that a satisfactory and legal deal was completed as planned all along. Hardly a victory. Make a false claim and when it never arises claim a great victory. Do you really think we are so gullible as to fall for the Union’s claims?
   • Atiawa 9.1

     2 April 2015 at 4:41 pm

     So why did the Aussie H/R become involved if it was a union promoted media “beat up?” Surely the local manager was capable of fixing the issue(s).
     This was a victory for collectivism – we all need regular tea & lunch break’s -.
     • fisiani 9.1.1

       2 April 2015 at 4:51 pm

       When the union rep went apeshit making things up the Aussie flew in to explain the truth. Sruth get with the truth mate.
       • Atiawa 9.1.1.1

         2 April 2015 at 5:35 pm

         You keep taking your medication cobber.
       • Wynston 9.1.1.2

         2 April 2015 at 8:26 pm

         In the words of Aunty Acid “I like the way you think. It’s almost as if you don’t”.
   • Philip Ferguson 9.2

     3 April 2015 at 1:20 am

     After the legislation was passed the company entered a new point into the negotiations, namely cutting breaks.

     The union and the public outcry led to the company backing off.

     The workers also won a substantial pay rise.

     https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/workers-at-cotton-on-win-pay-and-teabreak-victory/

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