Union beefs up Palmerston North efforts

Supermarket distribution workers in Palmerston North got a morale boost today as union members from Auckland were bussed in to join them on the picket line.

The workers in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Christchurch began what was meant to be a 48-hour strike on August 25, but were locked out by supermarket giant Progressive Enterprises three days later.

Mediation between the two parties broke down early on and an Employment Court order to resume negotiations has failed to find a solution.

The workers want a national collective agreement to cover the country's three distribution centres but Progressive said their agreements were historically and necessarily separate.

Pay rates vary between the centres, with the highest rates paid at Palmerston North, the lowest in Christchurch, and Auckland somewhere in between.

Yesterday, an Employment Court judge refused an interim injunction request from the National Distribution Union (NDU) to prevent the company using delivery firms to replace the locked-out staff. The case will go to a hearing next week.

The union said morale among the Palmerston North strikers was suffering as a total of 12 of their number had signed individual contracts and returned to work since the dispute began.

As these employees were the best paid of those at the three centres, NDU national secretary Laila Harre said some felt that they stood to have their pay reduced by Progressive to the level of workers in Auckland or Christchurch.

Progressive managing director Marty Hamnett said the company had no intention of reducing allowances at Palmerston North, and reiterated his statement that 26 workers returned to work in the past week.

Union spokesman Dion Martin told National Radio that the remaining workers were determined not to return to work until the company agreed to a national collective agreement.

"They have really put the pressure on our people but I have seen the character come out in the individuals that I represent that I didn't know was there.

"People know the cause is just, cause is right, and they're prepared to hang in there for a long time."

Mr Martin said the company was refusing to negotiate but Mr Hamnett denied this, saying the company was still willing to talk.

"We are very receptive to review our warehouse workers' salaries as quickly as possible and negotiate a sensible increase."

However, talks could not begin until the demands for a single national agreement were dropped, he said.

Progressive is scheduled to enter another round of pay talks for more than 4000 non-distribution supermarket workers tomorrow.

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A fresh proposal from the union representing locked out Progressive Enterprise workers will be made public today.

The National Distribution Union gave the proposal to the supermarket operator yesterday.

Union spokeswoman Laila Harre says it shows her members are committed to ending the dispute and will demonstrate that there is nothing unreasonable about the workers' claims.

- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB