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The IUF, the international uniting Food, Farm and Hotel Workers world-wide has thrown its weight behind the Dairy Workers Union (NZDWU) in its dispute with Open Country Cheese, a Waikato based dairy product manufacturer with National Party links.
IUF General Secretary Ron Oswald has stated that the international will stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder” with the locked out workers in their “critical struggle against those who would drive down the rights and living standards”.
Open Country Cheese (OCC) owner, the Talley Group, has a reputation for union bashing and hit the headlines earlier in the decade for its role in the 2005 election during which it offered Don Brash $1 million for the National Party campaign.
The company has gone into over-drive in an attempt to bully and discredit the union and its members. Not only has it engaged in highly misleading statements to the press, such as claiming the union was seeking wage claims of 46%, but it has now begun a six-week lock out of workers.
“OCC’s proposals would have” according to James Ritchie, National Secretary of the NZDWU “ turned most workers into seasonal and temporary workers and seen them subject to major and disruptive roster changes at short notice,”.
“When workers stood up for some basic fairness at work and job security, they were met with aggression. The company set up a bogus employment agency to casualise the workforce, have assaulted a worker, tried to block workers from accessing on-site union representation and this week have bandied around false accusations of environmental sabotage.”
Assault is not the only vile action that Talley’s stand accused. Up to 50% of their frozen peas have been found to be black nightshade, poisonous berry while managing director Peter Talley, is on record as being pro-whaling, pro-genetic engineering, and anti-MMP.
Makes you wonder about the coming MMP review really.
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IUF General Secretary Ron Oswald has stated that the international will stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder” with the locked out workers in their “critical struggle against those who would drive down the rights and living standards”.
Open Country Cheese (OCC) owner, the Talley Group, has a reputation for union bashing and hit the headlines earlier in the decade for its role in the 2005 election during which it offered Don Brash $1 million for the National Party campaign.
The company has gone into over-drive in an attempt to bully and discredit the union and its members. Not only has it engaged in highly misleading statements to the press, such as claiming the union was seeking wage claims of 46%, but it has now begun a six-week lock out of workers.
“OCC’s proposals would have” according to James Ritchie, National Secretary of the NZDWU “ turned most workers into seasonal and temporary workers and seen them subject to major and disruptive roster changes at short notice,”.
“When workers stood up for some basic fairness at work and job security, they were met with aggression. The company set up a bogus employment agency to casualise the workforce, have assaulted a worker, tried to block workers from accessing on-site union representation and this week have bandied around false accusations of environmental sabotage.”
Assault is not the only vile action that Talley’s stand accused. Up to 50% of their frozen peas have been found to be black nightshade, poisonous berry while managing director Peter Talley, is on record as being pro-whaling, pro-genetic engineering, and anti-MMP.
Makes you wonder about the coming MMP review really.
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Pix: TV3 & thanx to the bloggers whose work we’ve pillaged
