CTU Media Release

1 December 2011

Lockout supporters fundraise nationwide this Saturday

Supporters of the locked out ANZCO CMP meat workers will fundraise outside of McDonalds nationwide this Saturday 3 December.

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly says fundraising events will be held from Whangarei to Dunedin with locked out workers joining Auckland, Hamilton, Wanganui, Bulls, Feilding, Palmerston North, and Wellington events.

“Supporters from across New Zealand are banding together to raise money for the locked out ANZCO CMP workers and their families this Saturday,” Helen Kelly says. “We’ll be giving the workers solidarity as well as asking McDonald’s to ensure the families values they purport to uphold apply to their entire supply chain, including ANZCO, one of their meat patty suppliers.”

ANZCO foods locked out 100 workers from their CMP Rangitikei plant on October 19 for refusing to accept pay cuts of up to 20%, shift changes and cuts in allowances.

ANZCO is a primary supplier of meat patties to McDonalds.

Helen Kelly says the locked out workers have offered to sacrifice 10% of their pay despite their average annual income only being around $45,000, with the lowest on $23,000. But ANZCO, a multinational with an annual turnover of $1.2 billion, and its CEO Sir Graeme Harrison, want bigger cuts.

“This is not the first time workers have helped the company, workers accepted a wage freeze when the company first opened,” she says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media