Fair Pay Gathers Pace: Over 1000 Signatures Submitted As Bus And Supermarket FPAs Underway

Over a thousand bus drivers and supermarket workers have signed and submitted documents registering their support for Fair Pay Agreements in their respective industries, confirming the necessary minimum number of workers to initiate negotiations for fairer pay from the beginning of 2023, FIRST Union said today.

"Just in time for Christmas, we can confirm that the necessary number of signatures to initiate a Fair Pay Agreement in the bus and supermarket sectors have been submitted to Government by FIRST Union members," said Dennis Maga, FIRST Union General Secretary.

"This is clear confirmation of the fact that both of these groups of workers know how much they would benefit from an FPA and are keen to begin negotiations for one as soon as they can."

The initiation process for a Fair Pay Agreement requires that a minimum 1000 signatures or 10% of the total workers in an industry have registered their support for negotiating an industry-wide agreement between unions and employers that would set minimum wages and conditions in an industry. The necessary signatures were submitted by FIRST Union to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) during the last week.

Raeleen Brunel, a school bus driver from Rotorua, says she’s enjoying spending Christmas with her husband - an urban bus driver - knowing that better wages and consistent conditions across the board will mean "a healthier bus industry in the long run".

"For years we’ve been dealing with major discrepancies in pay and conditions depending on who you work for, whether you’re central or rural and driving a school bus or an urban route," said Mrs Brunel.

"Those differences make the industry a lot harder to work in when we really need experienced people to stay in the job and be able to transition into different roles over the years, because it can be a very challenging job."

"I’m thrilled that we’re already making progress on an FPA so quickly and I know that myself and many other drivers have spent a lot of time recently talking to colleagues and the public to build support for a better future for bus drivers."

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