By RNZ

Nearly 10,000 Woolworths supermarket workers have voted for initial strike action over low wage offers and unsafe staffing levels.

First Union said the vote followed nine days of bargaining with the employer which has ruled out a living wage and has no desire to address understaffing issues.

The union’s national organiser for retail food Ross Lampert said 95% of members voted in favour of striking, with a smaller group of members across 10 key Woolworths stores nationwide also voting for an additional action.

He said the issues at stake were a living wage, safer staffing levels, and increased penalty rates for night and weekend work, which were common in other jobs that required people to work unsociable hours.

The three actions involved non-compliance with media and social media policies, the wearing of a strike sticker on work uniforms, and for members of 10 specific stores handing out “receipt”-style flyers to customers in stores.

The actions were designed by the union’s bargaining team to be inclusive and solidarity-building ahead of any potentially more disruptive actions.

“This is a case of one of the largest and most profitable businesses in New Zealand deciding that their workers no longer deserve a fair deal and must accept whatever they put on the table - it just doesn’t work that way,” Lampert said.

“Our members are seeking a living wage, safe staffing minimum standards and fair compensation for giving up family and leisure time to work understaffed night and weekend shifts.”

First Union said a recent report showed Woolworths wages had fallen behind new arrivals to the New Zealand market like Costco and some Foodstuffs sites around the country who are paying staff a minimum living wage.

The current Woolworths start rate is $24.93 per hour, while Costco is paying new staff $27 per hour and Foodstuffs sites like Pak’n Save Kilbirnie has a start rate of $26 per hour.

A recent survey by First Union found 90.8 percent of respondents said their stores were understaffed, either “sometimes” (36.2%) “regularly” (30%) or “continuously” (24.7%).

In a statement, Woolworths managing director Spencer Sonn told RNZ the supermarket already paid near the top of the market and offered a range of benefits to staff.

Woolworths was also investing over $45 million in making its stores safer for its 16,000 staff, and its customers, including team safety cameras in all stores, trolley locks, fog cannons and double-entry gates, Sonn said.

The supermarket was “disappointed” First Union had tabled claims on behalf of its members totalling nearly $1 billion over one year, he said, calling it unsustainable”.

“Our offer includes a 6.6 percent increase for our store team on average over two years, and we have a genuine focus on helping our team have long and meaningful careers with us.

“In the current economic environment we have to balance increasing costs and providing value for customers, but making sure our team earns more is also a key priority for us.”

Woolworths would continue to engage with First Union in good faith, he said.

-RNZ