One lockout lifted but Talley’s lockout drags on
Darien
FENTON
Labour Spokesperson
31 March
2012
MEDIA STATEMENT
One lockout lifted but Talley’s
lockout drags on
While it’s good that the lockout
threat has been lifted at the Ports of Auckland, the
on-going plight of locked out meat workers in small town New
Zealand must not be forgotten, says Labour’s spokesperson
for labour issues Darien Fenton.
“About 1000
workers employed by Talley's AFFCO meatworks are now into
their 5th week of being locked out.
“While
Talley’s have agreed to attend mediation, they have also
indicated their intention to lock out an additional 500
workers over the Easter period.
“Many of the
Talley’s AFFCO plants are in small towns, where the
freezing works provide core income for workers and their
families. When these workers go without pay, the local
community and economy suffer too.
“In towns like
Moerewa and Wairoa where families already struggle, the
local community is now having to dig deep to provide support
for these families.
“We’re not talking about a
highly paid or inflexible workforce in these meatworks, but
Talley’s is using the blunt instrument of lockout to force
these workers into changes that will have an impact on their
livelihoods and their employment security.
“The
Meat Workers Union has repeatedly said it is ready and
willing to negotiate a fair and reasonable collective
agreement.
“This lockout will see our reputation as
an exporter of primary produce suffer, as we saw in the CMP
Rangitikei Meatworks lockout last year, when UK retailer
Waitrose expressed concern about the company’s ethical
trading stance.
"The only reasonable way for this
dispute to end is through good faith bargaining," said
Darien
Fenton.
ends