Bunnings staff strike over proposed rolling rosters

A group of Bunnings Mount Maunganui workers walked off the job yesterday morning over what they claim are "unfair" and "insecure" hours of work proposed by the company.

First Union Bay of Plenty organiser Kirstin Miller said workers felt frustrated with their employer's rosters.

"We just want these guys to have security of hours," Ms Miller said.

This was the fifth time the Mount Maunganui workers had walked off the job, more than any other Bunnings in New Zealand, according to Ms Miller.

"Bunnings is insisting on locking workers into rolling rosters," she claimed.

"At the moment rosters are set with mutual agreement, but Bunnings wants the power to impose rosters whether workers agree or not," she also claimed.

The 12 workers stood outside Bunnings Mount Maunganui for two hours yesterday morning on Hewletts Rd waving signs with slogans such as "Bunnings management want to change our hours whenever they want" and "stand up and fight back".

Numerous beeps from passing traffic could be heard in support of the workers.

Worker Mark Warn, who was part of the striking group, said he hoped Bunnings would "see reason and negotiate" the hours.

He said that in his opinion: "It's a totally unreasonable contract."

First Union delegate Dennis Radovanovich, who has worked at the Bunnings store for 10 years, said the workers were happy with their current contract and the changes were, in his opinion, unnecessary.

"I cannot understand it. They've never done this before," Mr Radovanovich said.

A Bunnings New Zealand spokesperson said due to its store opening hours "flexibility for our team and customers is key", but it had no intention to make wholesale changes to the roster patterns.

"Bunnings has put forward what it believes to be an industry-leading proposal covering wage rates and rosters, as part of its negotiations currently underway with both [the] team covered by individual employment agreements and First Union, who represent [the] team, covered by the collective agreement," the spokesperson said.

"Any and all changes that take place do so in full consultation with the team member, with advance notice, so that any significant commitments can be raised and taken into account."