Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 

Company must live up to living wage, say striking Cotton On


Workers at Cotton On’s Mangere distribution centre, who today took strike action outside the company’s Queen Street retail store, say it’s time Cotton On management cut the spin and lived up to their own promises of paying a living wage to all staff, FIRST Union said today.

“Cotton On is currently duping its customers with false claims of ethical employment practices,” said Jared Abbott, FIRST Union Secretary for Transport, Logistics and Manufacturing.

“Workers can see through the PR façade and are tired of being treated like mannequins in one of their advertising campaigns – Cotton On isn’t living up to its own hype.”

Cotton On members have a Collective Agreement covering both retail and distribution centre workers, and FIRST Union members have been attempting to negotiate with the company since April 2019. Their most recent offer was worse than their first and doesn’t take workers – in retail or the distribution centre – to the living wage, despite the company claiming to provide “a pathway to the living wage”, a “people first focus” and a “commitment to recognise and reward their staff.”

Wages for full-time workers at Cotton On’s distribution centre range from between $17.70 and $19 per hour. The company is proposing that distribution centre workers – many of whom are Pacific and Maori – are paid less than their retail colleagues.

In New Zealand, Pākehā men are paid, on average, a full $10 more per hour than Pacific women. The average hourly wage for a Pākehā man is $33 as of June 2018, while Pacific women are paid an average of $23 an hour.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“This is a company proposing to reduce paid rest breaks and remove terms from the Collective Agreement so that the majority of workers would be on minimum wages within 6 months,” said Abbott.

“And yet it’s also a company shouting about their ethical credentials from the rooftops, despite the fact that they seem to be just another big multinational exploiting the wage gap between Pacific Island and Pākehā workers.”

Kasalina Kolotau, a Cotton On delegate and FIRST Union member, is taking part in the industrial action after being frustrated with repeated attempts at reasonable wage bargaining: “We went on strike because we’re sick of hearing that we’re worth a living wage but not being given it,” said Ms Kolotau.

“They pretend to be an ethical business, but as workers we’re struggling, and a pay increase of 50 cents isn’t going to cut it.”

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
GenPro: General Practices Begin Issuing Clause 14 Notices

GenPro has been copied into a rising number of Clause 14 notices issued since the NZNO lodged its Primary Practice Pay Equity Claim against General Practice employers in December 2023.More

SPADA: Screen Industry Unites For Streaming Platform Regulation & Intellectual Property Protections

In an unprecedented international collaboration, representatives of screen producing organisations from around the world have released a joint statement.More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.