Press release: National Distribution Union

Sunday, 08 April 2007 9:00am

Bunning’s Warehouses flout law on Easter Sunday, again

Companies opened illegally today include thirteen Bunning’s Warehouses, again, says the National Distribution Union.

The hardware chain does not have an exemption to be open and has been fined in the past following complaints from National Distribution Union members.

Bunning’s Warehouse security guard, Glen Vickery, who is spending time with his two children in Coromandel, is calling on Bunning’s to follow the law.

“You don't have many days in the year when families can get together,” he said. “Easter should remain a holiday that everyone can enjoy, including Bunning’s workers.”

National Secretary Laila Harre said that while most New Zealander’s value Easter as time for family and the community, Bunning’s and other retail companies were taking the law into their own hands and taking workers away from their families for commercial gain.

“There are only 3 ½ days a year when our 200,000 retail workers are guaranteed time with their families,” she said. “If one of our retail workers decided to take a day off with their family on a normal trading day, Bunnings or any other company would bring the whole force of the law to discipline and even fire the worker. But here we have a corporate citizen quite blatantly breaking the law and facing a paulty $1,000 fine per breach. If we’re serious about saving Easter, the fine should be much higher.”

Ms Harre said that many New Zealanders don’t realise that Easter Sunday is not protected under the Holidays Act, meaning staff are not automatically entitled to time and a half and an alternative holiday (day in lieu).

The National Distribution Union has joined forces with church groups such as the Catholic Bishops Conference, The Social Justice Commission of the Anglican Church, CARITAS, The Methodist, Presbyterian, Churches of Christ, Quakers Churches' Agency on Social Issues (CASI) and well as other unions under the Council of Trade Unions to oppose two bills aiming at liberalizing Easter trading currently before parliament.

ENDS

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