“We can confirm we’ve asked all our contact centre employees - union and non-union - to come into the office for at least three days per week and have provided plenty of time for transition where required,” a One NZ spokesman told the Herald before the protest.
“This request is in line with other areas across the business and is to ensure our teams are set up for success to achieve great customer outcomes and to build strong team culture, at the same time as having a flexible work environment.”
10 per cent pay rise push
Unite is also pushing for a 10 per cent annual pay increase, plus time and a half for any non-overtime or overtime rostered hours outside 9am-5pm on weekdays.
The work-from-home action takes place against the backdrop of a consultation process One NZ says will mean a “limited number” of staff lose their jobs in early 2024. It follows culls at Chorus and Spark.
Union: ‘Corporate insecurity’
“One NZ has been disrespectful to workers, dismissive of increasing cost of living and unwilling to acknowledge the role they play in exacerbating environmental impacts of requiring their employees to come to the office,” another Unite rep, Joe Carolan, told the Herald.
“In an archaic, unnecessary and insecure change in policy, One NZ has begun the process of requiring workers to commute to the office to perform a function that could be done anywhere.
“Having made the technical change required to cope with changing conditions forced upon us all by the Covid-19 pandemic, unfortunately it seems that the mentality of the senior leadership has not changed with it.”
The telco had been delaying attempts at good-faith bargaining, Carolan said.
“Workers won’t stand for unfair treatment and the planet deserves to be prioritised ahead of corporate insecurity.”
One NZ: ‘No impact on customers’
But a One NZ spokesman said: “We’re surprised at today’s action as we’ve been transparent with Unite about timing for negotiations in the new year.
“We do not expect any impact on customers from the proposed industrial action, which would see contact centre and other staff opt to work from home for an 11-day period.
“For all staff, we go through an annual process of reviewing our remuneration framework and workplace policies to ensure they reflect the current market environment and ensure One NZ remains an attractive place to work.”
Remote working pioneer
One NZ was a remote working pioneer, starting a drill that saw some 1200 staff work from home in early March 2020, before the first lockdown.
In July that year, One NZ chief people officer Jodie King told the Herald the telco had always had flexi-hours but the pandemic would accelerate the trend.
“In early June, we surveyed all staff to ask for their views on remote working, with the vast majority saying they want to continue some degree of remote working in future. We expect staff will spend around 20 to 40 per cent of their time working from home,” King said.
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
