Two months ago, Canterbury Meat Packers locked out its staff at CMP Rangitikei in an effort to extort a 20% wage cut and force its staff to work harder for less money. Today, the parties reached a settlement - and CMP has been forced to back down:
Following negotiations yesterday a settlement was reached that has now been accepted by the workers and while some pay cuts have been agreed, these have been reduced to a level that the workers were prepared to accept. Importantly all the non cost conditions that the company sought to also remove have been put back in the new agreement and the workers will be paid a $500 payment on return to work. There are a number of other improved provisions in the agreement.So, not total victory, but still a win, and made possible because the community stood behind them. OTOH, in the bigger picture, its the workers who made the sacrifice, while their bosses keep getting bonuses. And that is fundamentally unjust.
