Restaurant Brands guarantees workers' hours

Restaurant Brands NZ is the NZX-listed operator of franchises including KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr and Starbucks. Photo / Supplied

Restaurant Brands NZ, the NZX-listed operator of franchises including KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr and Starbucks, has agreed a deal with the Unite Union in which workers' hours and shifts will be guaranteed on a permanent basis.

The new collective agreement moves from a formula in which hours were guaranteed at 80 per cent of those worked in the previous three months, to one in which all hours were guaranteed and shifts would be fixed.

Unite national secretary Gerard Hehir said it was a major change in in the industry.

"For the first time in decades, workers in the fast food industry in New Zealand will have their shifts fixed permanently. No longer will their pay vary from week to week," Hehir said.

The union says it plans to challenge the employment practices of Restuarant Brands' rivals, McDonalds and Burger King in the courts.

Shares in Restaurant Brands closed down 0.2 per cent, or 1c, at $5.70. They've risen 29 per cent since the start of the year.