Roberta Ratu, meat worker and delegate at AFFCO Talley's Rangiuru plant speaks out about union members' concerns on where bargaining for a new collective agreement is heading, especially with new laws in place. Talley's say the new laws won't interfere with the negotiations.  Good. After 14 month's it's time to do the right thing and settle the agreement with your workers. 

Media Release :

More than 1000 Meat Workers Union members employed by AFFCO-Talley’s at eight plants throughout the North Island are bracing themselves as new employment laws come into effect on Friday.

Meet Tamara and Soraya, the awesome team of Shed President and Secretary at Alliance, Levin. Tamara and Soraya are not the only women shed officials in the Meat Workers Union, but they are the only women in the Meat Workers Union who hold both positions of President and Secretary. Together with other delegates, they have increased union membership by around 50% and they're showing the way to other young women and men who want to get involved in the Meat Workers Union. 

Next Friday 6th March is not just another day for New Zealand workers. It's the day that the changes to employment laws brought in by the National Government begin. Bad employers will try to walk away from bargaining, pay new workers less than the collective and fine workers who take partial strike action.  

More than anything, Meat Workers Union members employed by AFFCO-Talley’s want a union collective agreement.  They went through a harrowing 84 day lockout in 2012 to get their last union agreement settled, and they don’t want to go through that again. But it's hard going.  

Bargaining for more than 1000 Meat Workers Union members with AFFCO Talley's is coming up on 11th February.  This will be the 10th day of negotiations since the agreement expired in December 2013 and workers are rightly concerned.  Your messages of support are giving them and their bargaining team a lot of heart. Keep them coming! Tell Talley's workers you're on their side here.

More than 1000 MWU members who work for AFFCO Talleys have been trying to get a fair agreement for more than a year now. 

No-one wants to see a repeat of three years ago, when these workers were locked out for 84 days by this company.

But time’s running out! From 6^th March the new employment laws will make it easier for employers to walk away from negotiations, and let them pay new workers less, even where there is a union on the job. 

Now the New Year is here, Meat Workers will be stepping up their campaign, Jobs that Count. 

You will see the campaign around the country in the coming months, but we want to hear from you.  

Sign up to this site and we will be in touch. 

The launch of the Jobs that Count campaign got the message out there.  Meat Workers are standing up for secure jobs in this industry.  Seasonal work, zero hours contracts, Casual, temporary and contracted work are all combining to make it harder for Kiwi workers to earn a living and meat workers face this every day. 

As we celebrate the season with our families, and fire up the barbies, remember, the meat workers too.  Our campaign is about our jobs, our whanau, communities and all of us.  There's big challenges ahead in 2015, and you'll be hearing more from us.

Meanwhile, happy holiday season to you and yours.

Wednesday 17th December 2014

The NZ Meat Workers Union will launch a new national campaign to highlight job insecurity in the Meat Industry this afternoon in Palmerston North. 

“Meat Workers face it all”, says Graham Cooke, National Secretary. 

“Seasonal work, dangerous jobs, casual and zero hours contracts, and increasing pressure on workers to join non-union individual agreements.

“As if that’s not enough, the government’s recent Employment Law changes mean meat workers will face a tougher time settling collective agreements and earning a decent living.