Cardinal Logistics Workers Walking Off The Job After A Year And A Half Of Bad Faith Bargaining

WHAT:

FIRST Union members at Cardinal Logistics , one of New Zealand’s largest logistics providers, are withdrawing their labour and picketing outside the Auckland facility on Tuesday.

Members have been attempting to negotiate fair wages with the company for over one and a half years and have voted for strike action after enduring some of "the worst behaviour imaginable" from a major New Zealand logistics company, according to FIRST Union.

WHEN:

• Withdrawal of labour - active from 6 am on Tuesday 26 th November until 6 am on Wednesday 27 th November
• Picket - from 12:00-13:00, Tuesday 26 th November 2024

WHERE:

• Picket - Outside Cardinal Logistics, 71/77 Westney Road, Māngere, Auckland 2022

WHY:

Olly Paegotau, FIRST Union organiser, said union members at Cardinal Logistics were "beyond frustrated" after attempting to negotiate with the company since March 2023, when their last agreement expired.

He said members had reported several breaches of good faith during bargaining by the company, including exerting undue influence in an attempt to convince workers to leave the union and now, a total refusal to resume bargaining despite attending mediation with the union.

"Cardinal are completely out of line and tried to force union members onto individual employment agreements with inferior terms, misleading them about their rights and trying some outrageous and illegal union-busting tactics," said Mr Paegotau.

"They’ve stormed away from the negotiating table at mediated bargaining because they didn’t get what they wanted and are now doing everything they can to force members out of the union and to accept a deal with much worse conditions."

"But they’ve forgotten that their business doesn’t run without workers, and we’re going to remind them why the people who give their all to the company deserve a fair deal and a fair negotiating process free from intimidation and manipulation."

Mr Paegotau said that Cardinal Logistics’ "standover tactics" were among the worst he’d seen in his 8 years of union organising and was hopeful that shining a light on the business’s poor practices would force change in the workplace.

Further strike action from Wednesday to Thursday this week may follow, he said.

Background information

• FIRST Union and Cardinal Logistics were parties to a Collective Agreement that expired on March 31, 2023.
• FIRST Union initiated bargaining in March 2023 and have subsequently met with the company on multiple occasions.
• On 29 April 2024, the Company’s Head of People and Talent, Louise Baird, wrote to the Union incorrectly claiming that because "it had been more than 12 months since the expiry [of the CA] ... the terms and conditions no longer stand" and that the Company was "prepared to meet but this will be to negotiate a new CEA".
• On 3 May 2024, the Company wrote to Union members directly and incorrectly claimed that due to the expiry of the CA, Union members were employed "on individual employment agreements which are consistent with our other Cardinal staff".
• FIRST Union alleges that there have been multiple sustained and deliberate breaches of good faith bargaining by Cardinal Logistics, including:
• a) Communicating with Union members in a misleading manner in an attempt to undermine the bargaining and the Union
• b) Engaging in unlawful undue influence with the intention of inducing members to cease to be Union members and therefore not be involved in bargaining for a collective agreement or be covered by a collective agreement
• c) Tabling completely new proposals and revoking existing offers without compelling reasons
• d) Refusing to respond to the Union’s counter proposal
• e) Unilaterally terminating bargaining without genuine reason in breach of section 33 of the Employment Relations Act.

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