Countdown DC Workers Win Settlement After 3-day Strike Action

Countdown distribution centre workers from the company’s two sites in Auckland have signed a significant new agreement that will include a 5% wage rise for the next year and a 3.9% increase for a reduced 9-month term in the following year, FIRST Union said today.

The agreement, finalised on Friday, follows a three-day withdrawal of labour at the busy Auckland distribution centres that has resulted in national stock shortages and increasing pressure on the company to negotiate with workers, said Jared Abbott, FIRST Union Secretary for Transport, Logistics and Manufacturing.

"We’re really proud of our delegates and members at Countdown, who made it clear that they wanted real negotiations and an agreement that covered the increased cost of living as well as the massive efforts they put into their jobs," said Mr Abbott.

"The new agreement makes them some of the highest-paid distribution workers in the country, and I know it’s going to make a massive difference to them and their families."

"This would not have happened without real effort and targeted industrial action, and it’s been inspiring to watch these people come together to fight for each other as well as others who don’t even work there yet."

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