Ten days ago, distribution workers at Progressive Enterprises went on strike for 48 hours in an effort to gain a national collective agreement and equal pay for equal work regardless of location. Progressive responded by walking out of negotiations and locking them out. Since then, the lockout has continued, and the shelves at Countdown, Woolworths, and Foodtown have been slowly emptying (according to Maia, they are now stocking the shelves with toilet paper, to avoid them looking empty).
If you're wondering how you can support the striking workers, here's a few suggestions:
- Don't shop at Woolworths, Foodtown, or Countdown. They won't have anything anyway.
- Send a message to Progressive's management. LabourStart has a handy form here, or you can email them on customerinfo@progressive.co.nz.
- Donate to the strike fund at 02-0200-0217968-00 with the reference "Lock Out" (details from here).
(Hat-tips: Capitalism Bad, tree Pretty, and Tony Milne).
15 comments:
I hate it when productive groups are disadvantaged. Maybe I have a bias for the underdog? I am referring, of course, to Progressive Enterprises.
It should be totally legal for them to fire the strikers. That way they can hire unemployed people to do the jobs.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/04/2006 04:42:00 PM
That's really good, I/S. Thank you for that. I have used that website to post the following message to Progressive:
"Dear Progressive Enterprises,
"I support your right to structure your workforce as is necessary to achieve maximum performance, and your right to refuse bullying from the NDU.
"I also accept that a national collective agreement is not in the interests of New Zealand grocery shoppers, and will lead to an unnecessary increase in grocery prices.
"I deplore the moves by the NDU to use the internet to spread their scurrilous lies about Progressive's activities. I will continue to shop at Progressive stores throughout the strike in solidarity with your organisation.
"Kind regards,
"Insolent Prick
"www.insolentprick.blogspot.com"
Posted by Insolent Prick : 9/04/2006 11:09:00 PM
And it's justifiable for PEL to use the media and shop posters to spread their own lies? Especially the one about 'unnecessary increases in grocery prices'. NZ supermarkets have enjoyed a wonderful period of static prices from suppliers, Progs has squeezed millions and millions out of it's supply chain and Woolworths Aust is squeezing more out of its supplier base.
If all 500 of progressive distribution workers got a 30% pay rise you'd be looking at a staggering cost increase of $0.002 per item sold. Most likely however is that the cost would be quarter that.
Posted by James : 9/04/2006 11:55:00 PM
In case this news has escaped your attention in the past five years, James, but New Zealand is facing its most critical skills shortage since the post-war period.
Skilled and unskilled workers alike are in high demand in this workforce. Their bargaining position is absolute. They don't need a bunch of no-hoper bullies from the union movement to protect their employment rights. If Progressive doesn't offer them a deal they want, they can go elsewhere.
Businesses have a right to trade. It doesn't frigging matter whether it's a New Zealand or Australian-owned company. No union has the right to shut a business down.
Workers can either get back to work and negotiate themselves better offers, or go elsewhere. Unions cannot expect to hold companies to ransom by blocking those companies from going about their lawful business.
Posted by Insolent Prick : 9/05/2006 09:47:00 AM
No, icehawk. Labour productivity has flatlined over the last twelve years.
One of the causes for that is decreasing unemployment; as unemployment decreases, more unskilled workers enter the workforce, and productivity per worker falls. Middle and upper-level workers have increased productivity, allowing total productivity per worker to remain constant. Those workers have had real wage increases; low-skilled workers haven't.
The only way for low-skilled workers to increase their income in a sustainable way is by increasing their skills and productivity; not by unions muscling in and taking advantage of tight employment conditions to bully employers into accepting union demands.
Posted by Insolent Prick : 9/05/2006 11:29:00 AM
I/P practices an alternative forn of defecation, and has no need for toilets as such. The results are displayed above.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/05/2006 01:13:00 PM
Nobody is stripping these workers of their "inherent right to collective bargaining".
At the heart of this dispute is the NDU's attempt to initiate a multi-site agreement, to consolidate its own power base. The NDU is already one of the country's wealthiest unions.
It's really pretty condescending of you, James, to suggest that a low-income worker doesn't have options. A store-packer in East Tamaki has choices where he works: he can work at Farmers, or Progressive, or any one of the two hundred large distribution centres in South Auckland. He can go where he is best paid for that work.
An employer who pays less than market rates will lose staff to those who pay market rates. That's how market economies work. They don't need state-sponsored unions bullying everybody, clipping the ticket of the low-paid worker, and channelling that income back to the Labour Party.
Posted by Insolent Prick : 9/05/2006 01:41:00 PM
Social justice and the dignity of the human person demand that individuals receive a fair living wage. Obviously this is better achieved by individuals banding together collectively, especialy for people in low wage employment.
Posted by Muerk : 9/05/2006 03:46:00 PM
To;
"It's New World for me you greedy bastards."
From
"Thank you for your feedback ... Blah Blah"
Posted by Dodderyoldfart : 9/05/2006 05:48:00 PM
To use a right wing argument for a left wing purpose.
Increasing minimum wages makes having minimum wage jobs less viable - thus causing a loss of jobs BUT this creates pressure to seek higher wage jobs and promotes higher wage industries by freeing up other resources for their use.
Now if only striking was not such a waste of resources...
Posted by Genius : 9/05/2006 06:48:00 PM
"They were on strike for 48 hours but were locked out after 3 days"
Obvious they were on strike for more than 48 hours
They went on strike for 2 days then voted to increase the strike and have continued ever since because the lockout is because they are still on strike
Now this happens at a time when unions including NDU and Engineering are talking of "indefinite" industrail action. Raising the ante. Longer and more bitter strike campaigns.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/05/2006 10:53:00 PM
Anonymous, what don't you understand about the term 'lockout'?
Often workers will strike for a couple of days, then return to negotiations, then strike a few days more, and if it comes to it, strike indefinitely.
The lockout is an attempt to circumvent negotiations and force the workers into submission. It is an escalation by the company, and that is not something you can deny.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/06/2006 12:16:00 PM
"The lockout is an attempt to circumvent negotiations and force the workers into submission. It is an escalation by the company, and that is not something you can deny."
Who decided to escalate the 48 hour strike? The lockout did not occur until at least a day after that 48 hour strike was going to end.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/09/2006 04:27:00 PM
"People who seek to strip their inherent right to collective bargaining deserve the contempt you have already been shown on this brief posting."
Let's get one thing straight. No one has AN INHERENT RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The law does not recognise any such inherent right. It does allow for people to advocate for collective bargaining, but there is no compulsion on the employer to grant one.
Collective bargaining is however a catch cry of the unions, not least because it increases their dominance.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/09/2006 04:33:00 PM
Harre and the NDU are going "ra ra ra, we're going to win". Au contraire. The reason the other unions are getting involved is out of desperation, knowing they are going to lose.
I went to my local 24 hour Countdown supermarket today. The shelves were well stocked, stock cages above the shelves were mostly full, and there was not one picketer to be seen anywhere.
Posted by Anonymous : 9/09/2006 04:35:00 PM
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