urbancast: battle wages on for distribution workers

It's been 11 days since industrial action between Progressive Enterprises their distribution workers started. 11 days without pay, 11 days with no end in sight.

And people are starting to notice their supermarket shelves are starting to empty, which is seeming to be a justifiable hassle rather than massive disruption. For now. It's likely that shoppers tensions will become higher as it becomes impossible to shop at Progs stores. Who shoppers blame in the long run will make or break the worker's demands for a national collective agreement, increased entitlements and an 8% pay rise.

Progressive for it's part is trying to focus attention on what it desribes as

unreasonable union demands [and remaining] committed to the lowest prices possible

in posters throughout the store. The NDU claims that Progs is leading a war of misinformation and acting illegally by replacing the function of their members by getting suppliers that usually deliver their goods via the DC to deliver direct into store. The union received a setback this afternoon, with Employment Court Judge Colgan ruling that PEL can continue with direct to store deliveries until a hearing next week. A press release from the worker's unions the NDU and EMPU this afternoon said:

"The judgment confirms the basic principle of the section that people can not be engaged to do the work of the locked out workers," [NDU National Secretary Laila Harre] said. "The Judge has acknowledged that evidence establishing who engaged who would be difficult for unions to gather in these circumstances. However he commented that with documentary disclosure before the trial the facts will be able to be established with a greater degree of certainty... This employer does not want to negotiate a solution, it wants to win. It wants to win by forcing these workers to accept its demands through the brutal economic weapon of the lockout. The company's Australasian owners are powerful and have shown that they are prepared to invest heavily to get their way. It's time for the rest of us to show that we support the right of low paid workers to bargain and we can do that by making sure their rent is paid and their families are fed."
The union will launch an 0900 number "0900 LOCK OUT" (0900 5625 688) tomorrow morning to enable members of the public to make donations.

It looks like both the union movement is digging it's heels in too. Tony Milne has claim's that Progressive is offering 3%, and a reduction in entitlements, which (as he points out) isn't really a pay rise at all. Worse still, the Manawatu Standard has report's of non union workers being offered a pay raise, while Progressive Enterprises Managing Director claiming on Checkpoint that at least 30 union members have quit the NDU and returned to work on individual contracts, with Harre disputing the figure - only 20 workers crossed the picket line in Palmerston North, returning to work because of financial hardship.

This report cites a Prog's insider in saying that sales were only down 5%, and stock levels down 6%. So I guess there's still plenty of stuff you don't want to buy there.

No Right Turn has ways to punish Prog's, and help the union workers (possibly made redundant by the 0900 number above)

Speaking of misinformation, just to make the whole thing even more confusing the New Zealand Herald is trying it's best to get things wrong. Today:

Foodstuffs managing director Tony McNeil said there had been a slight increase in custom at the group's supermarkets, which include New World and Foodtown.

and yesterday: