MIL OSI – Source: First Union –
Headline: Bullet Freight workers laid-off
An estimated 200 employees of Bullet Freight Systems lost their jobs yesterday following the company going into receivership last Friday evening (4 July), according to FIRST Union.
Bullet Freight Systems is a nationwide logistics company with depots in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin.
FIRST Union represents over 30 workers at Bullet Freight Systems’ East Tamaki site. The workers had only recently joined FIRST Union, and at the time the company was placed in receivership a collective agreement had still not been negotiated.
FIRST Union organiser Rudd Hughes attended the meetings on both Friday and Tuesday. At the Tuesday meeting all staff were told that their wages would be paid until the end of the day and that the receivers were seeking funds from the bank to pay out holiday pay entitlements.
“FIRST Union is very concerned at the situation, especially since these were not high paying jobs and most of these workers are living payday to payday,” said Hughes.
The union understands that most individual agreements had no redundancy pay provision in them, but will be doing everything possible to ensure these workers receive appropriate assistance and can find other work.
“There is currently a shortage of drivers in the Auckland area and we are hopeful that most of the drivers can find other work. We will also do what we can to identify job opportunities for warehouse and logistics staff employed by Bullet Freight,” said Hughes.
Workers will be attending a meeting at FIRST Union office in Onehunga at 2pm Thursday 10 July at which the union will put in place its laid-off worker support programme.
The union has invited a representative of Work and Income to attend to ensure the laid-off workers know what their unemployment entitlements are, and the union is also contacting other freight companies to see what jobs may be available for the workers who have been laid-off.
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