Tuesday 5th May 2015

Shocking tactics by bully employer

Campbell Live’s exposure of the bully tactics of a New Zealand employer, Talley’s owned AFFCO comes as no surprise says Graham Cooke, National Secretary of the Meat Workers Union.

“Roberta Ratu (Bertie), a Meat Workers Union member has bravely spoken out about her experience of asking her local MP for help. The reaction with threats about her future employment is typically over the top.

“Legal threats, intimidation, bullying of union members and unfair practices are a regular occurrence for our union in dealing with Talley’s-owned companies in the Meat Industry.

“We will not tolerate the targeting of a meat worker whose only offence is to exercise her civil rights to contact her local MP.

“We will stand by Bertie, who has contributed years of commitment and hard work at AFFCO.

"She has the right to express her concerns and raise issues with her local representative, just as every New Zealand citizen has the right to do.

“Over the past 15 months, we have endeavoured to reach an union agreement with AFFCO Talley’s that is fair and reasonable, as the majority of Meat Companies in New Zealand do.

“We remain committed to this, but it’s very difficult to do so when the Company adds new demands, as they did at our last bargaining session in February.

“We call on the Talley’s Group to do the right thing and settle a collective agreement for their workers employed by AFFCO in the North Island and their other plants,” Graham Cooke says.

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