International Day of Action for fast food workers April 14

0
0
Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 8.30.10 am
Unite is targeting Restaurant Brands, owners of the KFC, Carl’s Jr, Pizza Hut and Starbucks brands, as part of its international day of action for fast food workers on April 14.
Restaurant Brands has begun a process of franchising company-owned Carl’s Jr stores without proper consultation. The terms of the new employment agreements being offered by a franchise owner in Gisborne are radically below those negotiated in the collective agreement Unite Union has with the company.
Existing workers were “offered” pay cuts of up to 25%, significantly lower guaranteed hours, removal of numerous allowances, removal of overtime for long shifts, removal of many benefits and imposition of a 90 day “fire at will”  trials.
Restaurant Brands will directly profit as the New Zealand franchisor from the lower wages and reduced conditions. Despite having huge leverage over its franchisees and a legal obligation to encourage them to offer the same terms and conditions, Restaurant Brands has allowed massive cuts to be made.  With some Pizza Hutt stores having being franchised out in the past, this latest development with Carl’s Jr represents a very real threat to all RBL workers.
Workers will be demanding that Restaurant Brands and the new Carl’s Jr franchisee ensure the collective employment agreement that has been negotiated is honoured, along with any future franchise agreements.
Unite Union also has very serious concerns about Restaurant Brands miscalculating holiday pay for staff. Despite raising this issue with them a year ago they have refused to change their practice of only calculating leave in hours. This makes it impossible for them to use the formula the holidays act requiring them to pay the higher of the average weekly pay or the ordinary weekly pay at the time they take leave.
The only way to ensure that staff are being paid their annual leave properly is for an independent audit of their payroll system. McDonalds has agreed to this but Restaurant Brands has refused so far, despite all indications that their system simply cannot be calculating annual leave correctly.
Fast Food workers in over 30 countries and five continents will be taking action around the globe on Thursday 14th April to further the already successful campaign to raise wages and end “Zero hour” contracts.
See #FastFoodGlobal or here for more details.