Farmers workers pledge opposition to labour-hire

Distribution workers at Farmers are taking a stand in solidarity with their labour-hire colleagues who do not receive the protection of the same terms and conditions of permanent work. Some labour-hire employees have been working at the distribution centre for up to five years, doing the same jobs as their full time permanent colleagues (labour-hire employees work for a third party and are not directly employed by the company they work for).

84 members met at the Farmers distribution centre in Auckland today to make a commitment to ending labour-hire exploitation at their site, and to share in the frustrations with the company keeping labour-hire workers on for far too long.

FIRST Union delegate Moli Sáu says some labour-hire temps have been at the job far too long to be temporary.

“They should be made permanent and get paid the same money as us – they are doing the same work.”

Ms Sáu says the workers need secure jobs just like anyone else.

“How are they supposed to show they have secure work to get a rental house, or to, for example, hire purchase a washing machine? Labour-hire makes life really difficult for these workers.”

Organiser Mark Muller says permanent employment law is there for a reason.

“It’s so people have secure work hours, and it encourages businesses to recognise experience amongst a raft of other obligations. To not offer permanent work to these employees is to avoid the law when in fact they are permanent employees.”

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