No strike action at Tauranga McDonald's

McDonald's Restaurant. Photo/file

Thousands of fast-food workers across New Zealand are expected to join an international day of strike action today to protest zero hours contracts - but they won't be in Tauranga.

New Zealand service industry workers will take to the streets from midday to picket companies like fast food giant McDonald's after mediation attempts between unions and bosses fell through last night.

The strikes today are the first in an international day of action by fast-food workers demanding secure hours, better pay and union representation.

Unite Union Bay of Plenty representative Bonita Moyes said there would be no strike displays in the Tauranga area as there simply weren't enough numbers.

"They are quite intimidated," she said.

"It's just hard to get membership up these days."

Unite national director Mike Treen said the strike would go-ahead today after talks collapsed last night, saying McDonald's offer was "a joke".

"They claimed they would guarantee 80 per cent of their 'rostered hours'. But rosters can go up and down and workers have no control over them. There is no way for workers to verify the fairness of a roster," he said.

"Workers usually work 20 per cent more hours than they are rostered. By offering 80 per cent of 80 per cent we are getting to a pretty small number."