Yesterday’s Employment Court decision should see AFFCO Talley’s Wairoa locked out workers back at work in the next two weeks, says the NZ Meat Workers Union.
“After five months of lock out and significant suffering for whanau and the small community of Wairoa, the Employment Court yesterday issued a judgement requiring the company to respect rights around seniority and re-engage these workers on the shift they would have been employed on had it not been for the Company’s misconduct” says Darien Fenton, Meat Workers Union Organising Director.
“The Court also ruled that the company is breaching section 97 of the Employment Relations Act by employing replacement workers during a lockout.
“After a Full Bench decision of the Employment Court in November 2015 found that AFFCO Talleys had unlawfully locked out workers and breached good faith, Wairoa workers were hopeful of a return to work.
“However, the company’s remedy was to have the entire Wairoa union membership consigned to the night shift, regardless of the workers’ employment agreement rights, previous shifts and seniority provisions.
“This decision is a strong one and has given heart to Wairoa Meat Workers Union members who have bravely stood up for their rights.
“It also reinforces that seniority systems in the meat industry is an important form of protection for workers” says Ms Fenton.
The Court has provided for a return to Court for compliance on 23rd February should these workers not be back at work by then.
The Talleys seem to the worst sort of employers this country has by the way they have blatantly and unfairly treated their workers.
I wish the employment court has the power to rule that the workers should be paid back all the wages they have lost for the last five months as well as the power to put these disgraceful crap employers in jail for flouting the law.
Right on, Clem.
The Talleys seem to take malevolent enjoyment in treating their employees badly. It’s quite sick and sadistic.
The bizarre thing is that Peter Talley was knighted under this National Government for “services to business and philanthropy.” I guess Talley and his family are selective about who they treat in an altruistic, gracious, humane manner. Clearly, they don’t treat their long-suffering workers this way.
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