Whanganui Woolworths workers join nationwide protest over pay and staffing

Whanganui Woolworths workers protest outside Trafalgar Square. Photo / Mike Tweed

Staff from Woolworths supermarkets in Whanganui have joined a nationwide protest demanding higher wages and safer staffing levels.

First Union organiser Kaye Hearfield said it was the first time “on the picket lines” for about 40 workers from the Victoria Ave and Trafalgar Square stores who were involved in the Whanganui protest.

It took place on the corner of Taupō Quay and St Hill St on Tuesday afternoon and elicited continuous honks of support from passing motorists.

“They have had a gutsful. They are underpaid, undervalued and understaffed,” she said.

“It’s huge for them to walk out the door but they know why they are doing it and they are supporting each other.

“They are worth more.”

Last month, nearly 10,000 Woolworths supermarket workers voted for the strike action, with First Union saying a report showed Woolworths’ wages had fallen behind Costco and some Foodstuffs sites around the country.

Hearfield said the workers offered good service and took pride in their jobs but that was not reflected in their pay.

“We [First Union] are part of the bargaining team that helps echo their voices but it’s falling on deaf ears.

“That’s why, nationally, these workers have taken a stand and said ‘We are going to make you listen to us’.”

Negotiations had been ongoing for 13 days and would resume on Wednesday and Thursday, Hearfield said.

Whanganui stores still carry the Countdown branding, with the company spending $400 million on rebranding back to Woolworths and refurbishing stores.

As of June 20, 70 of the 185 New Zealand stores had been rebranded.

In a statement, a Woolworths spokesperson said the company had brought a strong offer to the table in its discussions with First Union, including a wage rate increase for the store team between 6.8% and 10.1% over two years.

Since 2022, Woolworths had improved sick leave benefits, increased bereavement leave, increased primary caregiver leave to 12 full weeks of paid leave and introduced secondary caregiver leave of four weeks, the spokesperson said.

“Additionally, we’re under way with a $45 million investment in making our stores safer including team safety cameras in all stores, trolley locks, fog cannons and double-entry gates.

“We’re also looking at bringing in duress alarms for those working in isolated areas.”

Hearfield said Woolworths’ offer did not “come close to what workers need to survive”.

“A lot of people live week to week and don’t have the luxury of having a bank account they can fall back on.

“They pick up extra shifts and do everything they can to help. They are an asset and want to be seen as such.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.