HINERANGI VAIMOSO
Hawke's Bay supermarket supplies seem to be holding out - but for how much longer?
It has been 11 days since about 600 workers from Progressive Enterprise Ltd walked in a bid to gain equal pay rates and better leave conditions.
Progressive has said it would refuse to take workers back
until they give up their claim for a national collective agreement, mediation talks have broken down and empty shelves may soon become more apparent at the local store.
Without grocery distributors, Progressive Supermarkets, which include Countdown in Hastings and Napier as well as Woolworths in Napier, are putting on a brave front.
But with no end in sight, shoppers will need to shop wisely. Family-sized juice bottles looked to be in thin supply in Napier and Hastings, as were some brands of sugar, one-cup noodles, dishwashing liquids and soaps.
If a nice cup of tea and a bickie sound good, you may struggle to find some brands of English breakfast tea and cookies.
Some may not get a good start to the day as they will have to eat dry toast because some supermarkets do not have certain spreads available.
The workers are seeking an agreement with their Australian employer that would see all existing allowance to be combined into a site allowance, an 8 percent pa yrise and an extra week's service leave.
Union secretary Laila Harre said picket lines across the country would continue"to prevent the use of illegal replacement labour and to inform supermarket customers about the issues".
