Grocery workers struggle with low pay, understaffing and customer abuse

Almost one-third of supermarket staff surveyed said they'd had to confront thieves in their stores. Photo / 123RF

By RNZ

Low pay, understaffing and customer abuse are causing major concern across the grocery industry, according to a survey of more than 1500 supermarket and grocery workers from major retail chains.

The survey, completed electronically in May through First Union’s member database, shows thousands of supermarket workers are grappling with the high cost of living.

They are also dealing with regular incidents of customer abuse in understaffed supermarkets that are typically paying the majority of workers less than the living wage.

Union national secretary for retail and finance Rudd Hughes said workers hailed as heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic were no longer treated that way by employers.

More than 70 percent of those surveyed said their wages were not sufficient to cover living costs, and more than 60 percent of a sample size of 1514 workers said their pay rises over the past two years had not kept pace with rising costs.

Only 21 percent said if they received an unexpected $500 bill tomorrow they could pay it.

Hughes said the National-NZ First-ACT coalition’s repeal of fair pay agreement legislation denied workers a pathway to negotiate minimum standards across the supermarket industry.

“They’ve offered up a paltry tax cut, whereas fair pay agreements would have actually made a real difference to workers’ wages.”

The survey showed 69 percent of workers had considered quitting in the past two years, and on top of this, 90 percent said their stores were understaffed.

“Understaffing is a major contributor to workers’ stress and burnout, and it makes supermarkets much more unsafe workplaces for staff than they should be,” Hughes said.

Abuse of staff by customers and other incidents of violence and dangerous behaviours at work were a growing problem, and more likely to occur with fewer staff around.

More than a third of those surveyed reported being verbally assaulted or threatened at work, and 30 percent said they had had to confront thieves in their stores.

Another 4 percent said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted, and 2 percent said they had been spat on.

“No one should have to deal with regular and sustained danger and abuse at work, and least of all those who aren’t even paid a living wage and have few prospects for improvements in the workplace,” Hughes said.

In February, Foodstuffs announced up to 25 Pak’n’Save and New World supermarkets would be using facial recognition technology to try and combat rising thefts and violence against staff.

Hughes said the survey’s findings would be key in outlining minimum standards for the union’s upcoming bargaining with all supermarket major chains.

-RNZ