Workers And Community Unite To Call On Resene Paints To Pay A Living Wage

Struggling Resene workers are frustrated that their calls to be paid the Living Wage have been met with silence from the company.

With manufacturing plants in Naenae and Upper Hutt, and more than 60 stores throughout New Zealand and Australia, the paint manufacturer employs around 650 staff, all on individual pay agreements, and most paid below the Living Wage.

Resene workers approached the Living Wage Movement at the end of last year, and the movement’s faith, union, and community organisations unanimously decided to back the workers. Four letters have since been sent to Resene Chief Executive Nick Nightingale and the majority shareholder. However, Living Wage spokesperson Lillian Pak says no response has been received from the company.

“We’ve been completely ignored,” Pak says. “Resene is a family-owned business, yet by not paying the Living Wage, it’s certainly not looking after the families of its own workers.”

Resene worker, Margaret Jackson, says she and her fellow workers are frustrated at their low pay:

“Without a Living Wage, I find myself working 50 hours a week just to make ends meet… it becomes a need, not a choice,” Jackson says. “With Resene making millions of dollars, are we not worth a Living Wage?”

The Living Wage Movement is launching a community-led campaign to urge Resene to take the step towards becoming an Accredited Living Wage Employer.

The campaign will include a community meeting, with Nick Nightingale invited to attend to hear directly from the community and impacted workers. There will also be a community petition, and fans of the Hurricanes, the rugby team sponsored by Resene, will be encouraged to show their support for the company’s workers.

The formal launch of the campaign on 9th April, will be held in the Te Mako Naenae Community Centre, Naenae, at 6pm, to be followed by a community meeting on 13th May, at the St Bernadette Catholic Church Hall in Naenae, at 6pm which Nick Nightingale will be invited to.

“We think the public will be surprised that Resene, such a well-known and respected New Zealand business, does not pay all of its workers the Living Wage,” Pak says.

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