Workers beat the Grinch

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, December 23rd, 2011 - 22 comments
Categories: Unions, wages, workers' rights - Tags:

In a heart-warming Christmas story, 111 workers have stood strong and faced down Canterbury Meat Packers, which locked them out for 2 months to extort a 20% wage cut and make them work harder for less money. It’s not a total victory, there will be small pay cuts, but they won improved conditions and they’re back at work. United, workers win.

22 comments on “Workers beat the Grinch ”

  1. Ianupnorth 1

    Wonder if this will even make the News at 6pm on any channel?

    • ak 1.1

      Don’t be silly Ian. After only a few brief weeks of forced exposure of the alternative, the masses delivered a clear message to their rulers: you rule only by the grace of electoral rort and the promise of beads and blankets.

      So any mention of unrest must again be quashed. The chief Scribes have read the wall and are shuffling positions; their lords and Farrarsees now preparing the way of welfare reform. A plastic poverty commision for Christmas, led by the grinch. Look forward to Easter, and the resurrection of progression.

  2. Zorr 2

    This is excellent news!

  3. Olwyn 3

    Maybe not a total victory, but a real, concrete victory which is a welcome surprise under the present circumstances. Brilliant news.

  4. Deborah 4

    Unbelievably good news!

  5. millsy 5

    To all the rednecks that point their browsers here:

    The workers were *NOT* looking for extravagant pay rises or featherbedding or hour long smoko breaks or stuff like that.

    They *WERE* prepared to *SACRIFICE* some pay and conditions to help keep the company in business. Its just that the company management wanted them to give up more and more and more, without sharing the pain.

    Which sums up this financial crisis in general. Its those in the middle and at the bottom who find themselves being asked to give up the most.

    • Ari 5.1

      Yep. Workers want the business to succeed too, they just want a fair share of the proceeds too.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1

        Now if they just wanted a say in how the business was run we’d be getting somewhere.

        • Ari 5.1.1.1

          We should definitely be pushing for labour to have 50% of the votes on company boards in the future. It works very well in Germany.

  6. Colonial Viper 6

    They *WERE* prepared to *SACRIFICE* some pay and conditions to help keep the company in business.

    As I understand it, the parent company ANZCO makes a shit load of money, and the managers at the plant had a nice all expenses paid Christmas dinner a fortnight ago – not exactly the sign of a struggling operation. NZ meat prices also remain very soild on the international market.

    Basically you have a company who decided that the easiest way to make an extra dollar of profit is to take it away from their workers.

    • millsy 6.1

      “Basically you have a company who decided that the easiest way to make an extra dollar of profit is to take it away from their workers.”

      Yes, so true — my post was for the rednecks like QSF, monty, Gosman, In Vino Veritas, biscuitbarrell, etc, who thought the workers were just plain greedy. (as well as the redneck who pretends that he isnt one, Pete George – who should really take his personal phone number off his website — he is inviting every wierdo on here to harrass him.)

  7. Dv 7

    I suspect the possiblity of problems with TESCOS had a bit to do with the settlement.

    • Tom Gould 7.1

      Funny, that. I have been waiting for Key to fly in the Tesco big boys, lay on government BMWs, and fancy feeds at Premier House, and seed the chooks to blame the union for the recession and unemployment and rising debt, just like last time. He must have been distracted signing his Christmas cards?

  8. newsense 8

    But they miss out on two months of pay?

    How do they feel good going back to work for an employer like that?

    • Colonial Viper 8.1

      Come now, the feelings and self esteem of your serfs hardly matters, and it certainly isn’t included in the end of year financial reporting.

    • Jamie Robinson 8.2

      As a locked out worker at the plant in question, it feels good going back to a company knowing that we made the changes and that the management know that we will stand up and fight for our rights as people. Management have greeted us with a bit more respect. I think they underestimated the power of human rights and the meaning of Stand up fight back. Unbelievable support from all union wide.

      • Christina Carlyle 8.2.1

        Hearing that the workers had won and forced this most unreasonable employer to back down was the best Christmas present I could get. These workers are awesome people: they stood strong under very testing conditions and have sent a warning signal to any other bosses who might be toying with plans to lock out more workers. By staying staunch and with other unions getting behind them, the clear message is:When union rights are under attack:STAND UP:FIGHT BACK!!! Well done Jamie and colleagues!!

  9. Ari 9

    Now we just need to make more jobs available so they don’t have to work cutting up and packing dead animals that will only hurt people’s and the climate’s health to eat. Urgh.

  10. Ms X 10

    Delighted to hear the news. One day maybe, this sort of thing will not be necessary.

  11. Jenny 11


    For the longest time lockouts where unknown in this country.

    When Progressive Enterprises locked out their staff in 2006, to enforce a demand to be able to pay differing wage rates and breaking the collective agreement, most of the workforce were caught by surprise. A number of workers said that they had never even heard the term “lock-out” and before it happened to them were not even aware of the concept.

    This employer tactic was so unused up to that time, that it had become lost to common memory, only known to those with an interest in union history.

    But in recent times this tactic has been revived and is now becoming more and more commonly applied by employers.

    There have been a number of employer lock outs since the Progressive Dispute and and there are few Kiwis today (if any) who would not be aware of the concept of the employer lockout.

    Some have cited “employer militancy” as the cause.

    Some have have said the recession is fueling this employer militancy.

    But this is not a satisfactory answer.
    Even in the good times, there were employers militantly opposed to unions, but they would never even haved dreamed of resorting to the lock out weapon.

    So what has changed?

    Well for one thing – lockouts in the past were an easily defeated tactic.

    The traditional trade union response to an employer lockout is the solidarity strike.

    Faced with solidarity strikes, support companies affected affected, petitioned or pressured any militant company to end their lockout, or more often, just simply took their business elsewhere.

    Solidarity strikes made the lockout unknown in this country.

    Immediately applied, and at the first sign of a lockout, the solidarity strike is devastating and overwhelmingly effective counter tactic against lockouts. Targeting business partners, suppliers and customer companies, companies that used the lockout weapon were shunned. And lockouts were rejected as an outmoded and ineffective way of solving employment disputes.

    But since solidarity strikes were specifically banned in the National Government’s Employment Contracts Act (a stricture that remains in Labour’s Employment Relations Act) There is no longer a balance of power between unions and employers when it comes to lockouts.
    This makes it cost free to an employer to escalate a dispute by imposing a lockout, and minimally inexpensive to maintain a lockout as long as is necessary with out any fear of reprisal.

    Faced by mounting bills and employer instransigence many CMP workers were forced to sign the individual non-union agreements and returned to work.

    During the period of the lockout the Meat Workers Union lost almost half of their Rangitikei membership.

    Despite the NZ Meat Workers Union taking a court action to challenge the legality of the lockout the Employment Court ruled that under the current law, the company’s actions are completely legal.
    It is has been made very clear by the Employment Court ruling, that as the law stands, workers have no legal protection against lockouts.

    This legislated imbalance in the ERA, makes it risk free for employers to resort to lockouts. As a result as the recession deepens, rather than cut their bottom line, the easy option is for employers to force the burden of the crisis onto their workforce, demanding cuts in wages and conditions.

    This artificially imposed legal imbalance puts unions in a quandary, do unions obey the law and see their unions driven out of some workplaces and even whole industries, or do they defy the law and face the risk of massive fines and even imprisonment, by recommending or engaging in illegal solidarity actions to beat lockouts.

    For unions this is a lose lose scenario.

    On one hand accept continual defeat, loss of influence and membership, and marginalisation, or accept the cost of fines and damages as part of the cost of existence.

    In the case of the Progressive Lockout, the Combined Trade Unions resolved in defiance of the law, to recommend their affiliate unions to take solidarity actions to break the lockout. The implementation by affiliate unions of this CTU resolution swiftly ended the dispute in the workers favour, delivering a sudden and unexpected defeat to Progressive Enterprises. A victory much to the surprise of the employers and all major media commentators at the time.

    Luckily for the unions who engaged in illegal solidarity actions in support of the Progressive workforce, employers though threatening to take legal action for damages, decided to settle instead. Progressive conceded to paying equal pay rates and conditions nationally across all their work sites, (the key demand of the workers).

    But it could have gone either way.

    If lockouts become used more commonly by employers, the unions will have to respond as they come under increasing pressure from their members to defy the ERA or accept increasingly oppressive demands from militant employers imposed through lockout, or threat of lockout.

    If union solidarity strikes are illegal, shouldn’t their counter, the employer lockout be illegal also?

    If the stricture against solidarity strikes remains in law, while lockouts remain perfectly legal, the union movement will increasingly have to make the decision whether to continually accept defeat and loss of membership, or defy the law.

    If the incidence of employer lockouts continues, or even as is likely increases, will this legislative injustice continue to be tolerated by New Zealand workers?

    In the interests of fairness, the ERA needs to be urgently amended to either ban lockouts, or allow solidarity strikes.

    New Zealand unionists need to be lobbying political parties for more balanced and just employment legislation.

  12. Christina Carlyle 12

    Thanks Jenny for this very informative post. I am so surprised to learn that this wasn’t amended when the ERA replaced the ECA. Clearly it won’t happen under jonkey’s regime, and :in fact watch out for another version of the ECA from the smiling assassin.

  13. Mike 13

    It’s great they won. The sad thing is that they will never make back the 2 months lost pay for the rest of their working lives. Sad reflection on corporate priorities that it has to come to that.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T04:48:54+00:00