Solidarity Library

Subway bosses go and hang-
Justice for Jackie Lang!

Saturday, May 12 2007

The 155 Queen St Branch of Subway in Auckland was blockaded for two hours in a joint direct action organised by Radical Youth and Workers Charter. The blockade demanded justice for sacked Subway worker Jackie Lang, who was fired by the Dunedin branch for sharing her free Coke with a distressed friend. Reps from the NDU, SFWU, Unite and Solidarity unions were in attendance, in a high spirited protest that drove most of the store's custom away for its duration.





"Workers in New Zealand are sick of bullying, intimidation and unfair dismissals and sackings." said Solidarity Union activist and protest organiser Joe Carolan.

"Jackie Lang's case is the straw that broke the camel's back. This Saturday, Workers Charter call on all decent people and trade unionists to come stand up for Jackie's rights. Drop the charges, and compensate Jackie for the emotional distress you have caused her, Subway. Otherwise, pickets on all your stores in Auckland will spread and grow. Have some respect for your workers!"

"Radical Youth is shocked by this example of a multinational corporation bullying a poor worker for no reason" said RY spokesperson Eliana Darroch . “Subway's continued use of youth rates and its treatment of Jackie Lang clearly shows it is a company that holds its workers in contempt" added Ms Darroch. "Radical Youth will not stand for this bullying and will carry out actions against Subway if this case is not dropped."

Organisers have vowed that lightning blockades will occur at other Subway franchisees until Jackie is reinstated or compensated, with a full apology from the Subway Corporation, who have tried to wash their hands of the affair so far. They also leafletted and talked to Subway workers about their right to organise in a union.

Labels: union

You and your family need enough money to live comfortably and you’re entitled to a fair wage for the work you do.

We keep hearing about companies reporting record profits and bosses having their highest pay ever. But our wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. Housing is too expensive and food prices are rising. Minimum wage rises unions fought for are helping the lowest paid workers, but still isn’t enough. Companies continue to slash working conditions even from better paid jobs. Kiwis work some of the longest hours in the western world and have the lowest amount of family time.

Many don’t know that we have rights at work.
That’s where the union comes in.

A union is when we come together as workers to protect our rights and to get a better deal at work. As members of a union we support each other so that we don’t have to face a problem or negotiate improvements to our working conditions on our own. When we stick together we have a much better chance of getting a better deal and protecting what we currently have.
Unlike our jobs, a union is democratic and is run by us, the members. As a union member you have a say in determining what we do. You elect your workplace union reps (delegates) and decide what you focus on for your new collective agreement. You also have a say in how the wider union is run. You have a right under NZ law to be a union member.

Unions work.

It’s a fact than union collective agreements (contracts) have higher pay rates, pay rises and better conditions than non-union workplaces. Union members also get the added security of union organisers, lawyers, workplace representation when you need as well as other union benefits.
And you’re already benefitting from unions. Holidays, sick leave, minimum wage rises, paid parental leave and other benefits we take for granted today, didn’t simply fall out of the sky. These were once considered radical demands that were won when our parents and grandparents organised together collectively as a union.

The more of your co-workers who join the union, the stronger we are and the better the deal.

Being a union member is about making a difference for our friends, family, co-workers and our community. We lift the game for every other worker in New Zealand, most importantly for Maori, Pacific Islanders, women, youth and migrants who are disproportionately in lower paid jobs through no fault of their own.
We have a strong history of fighting against poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of living and for equal pay for women and the abolishment of youth rates. We have also fought for free education, multi-culturalism, recognition of Maori as Tangata Whenua, to keep NZ GE and nuclear free ,environmental sustainability and fair solutions to climate change.

We are an independent voice for workers.

Labels: union

Under Section 20 of the Employment Relations Act 2000, a union has a legal right to access any workplace to recruit new members, and communicate with and service existing members. Solidarity Union endeavours to do this in a professional and efficient manner, and has given these guidelines to field organisers to aid this process:

1. Upon arriving at a site, the organiser should inform the shift manager or owner that they are on the premises, and that they wish to access their members and/or talk to non-union workers about the union.

2. The organiser should then arrange with the manager to carry out this process in as efficient a manner as possible. It is to the advantage of both organiser and manager that as many workers are met as quickly and as punctually as possible. For these reasons, organisers try to contact sites at off-peak times. Organisers have many sites to visit every day, and thus wish to minimise ³dead time² waiting around at sites. In return, they keep contact time with workers to ³a reasonable duration² per person, as required under the Employment Relations Act.

3. Organisers also communicate with union members and non-union workers through the union newsletter. This can help speed up the communication process by avoiding the need to see every worker individually. Sites should have an agreement to leave a union newsletter folder on the staff noticeboard or some other visible place.

4. Meetings with workers should take place in a quiet area of the site away from loud machinery and other distractions. It should also be as private as conditions allow. Names of workers should never be shouted out by either managers or organisers. Meeting with the union is part of any worker¹s democratic and legal rights, and needs to be respected as such. An organiser requires table space to lay out union bulletins and other union material.

5. When all workers in the site have been visited, the shift manager should inform the organiser of this fact. Workers who do not wish to join the union on this visit need to inform an organiser of this fact themselves, face-to-face ­ this cannot be conveyed by a manager or employer. An organiser who has not contacted all union members and non-union workers may leave union newsletters and forms with a site delegate.

6. A meeting with a site delegate that is slightly longer than the time usually spent with other workers can shorten or eliminate contact time with those other workers. That is good for both the employer and the union.

7. Organisers should thank the shift manager or employer for their co-operation at the end of a site visit. Organisers, workers and managers are under pressure and have deadlines to meet ­ these protocols try to make this process as punctual and efficient as possible.

8. In the event of any organiser encountering hostility, obstruction or unprofessional conduct at a site, they are to immediately contact the Solidarity Union secretary with a report. If there is major obstruction or a violation of the union¹s right to visit, the organiser will withdraw and the matter will go straight to the union¹s legal team. Solidarity Union has a strict policy of follow-up on all violations of our access rights to workplaces under Section 20 of the Employment Relations Act. Those found guilty of obstruction are liable for individual fines of up to $10,000 in addition to their company being fined up to $5,000. Solidarity Union prefers to resolve any confrontation without recourse to legal processes through discussions with a manager. Such situations can arise because of a lack of knowledge about a union¹s legal rights on a site not covered by any union before.

Labels: union

Solidarity Union activists today protested at the Management Headquarters of MetroGlass in Auckland's East Tamaki, to highlight the new Australian owner's intransigence on providing an adequate redundancy provision in their contracts. MetroGlass was recently sold for over $350 million to Australian speculators Catalyst Investments, in a surprising move that startled and upset workers.

"We have seen what happened at Feltex, and at Progressive, and workers in MetroGlass are concerned that despite repeated management promises the company would not be sold to overseas owners, it was. Now there is promises of no re-structuring or redundancies. Well, if this is the case, it won't cost MetroGlass a cent to include a decent redundancy clause in these workers contracts, since they promise they have no intention to lay anyone off".

"We've been waiting four months for management to get back to us on this issue", said Solidarity Union's Joe Carolan. "85 workers signed a petition in October in favour of a 10 by 2 redundancy agreement- 10 weeks pay for anyone laid off, with a further 2 weeks on top for every additional year worked at the firm. MetroGlass is one of Auckland's leading glass companies- the workers there think they should also lead the way in conditions and pay."

Management remained in their goldfish bowl, trying to ignore the loud, funky picket outside. The union challenged them to come out and debate on the open microphone, but were met with a wall of silence. In response, the sounds of Jimmy Cliff, Rage and Arethra Franklin cut through the din of factory machinery, to the honks and beeps of dozens of supporters in cars giving thumbs up to the Union.

Labels: union