WORLDS FIRST STARBUCKS STRIKE, AUCKLAND

international | anti-capitalism | other press Tuesday November 22, 2005 07:15 by Joe Carolan - Unite Workers Union solidarityjoe at yahoo dot com

A world first is happening in the heart of Auckland city tomorrow, as multi-national giant Starbucks faces a workers strike.
Unite Union / SuperSizeMyPay.Com
Tuesday, 22 November

A world first is happening in the heart of Auckland city tomorrow, as multi-national giant Starbucks faces a workers strike.

The legal wild-cat strike at Karangahape Rd Starbucks, is a public awareness raising event and the first action in the Unite workers union “SuperSizeMyPay.Com” campaign.

Campaign Co-ordinator Simon Oosterman says the strike is just one way Unite is raising public awareness of the working conditions of those employed in the fast-food sector and other low paid and minimum wage jobs.

“The minimum wage is now the most important determining factor for low paid workers. Raising the minimum wage to $12 NOW, removing youth rates, giving secure hours and other minimum entitlements would be the first step towards reclaiming what entitlements workers have lost and alleviating poverty and inequality,” said Mr Oosterman.

The community-wide campaign is being launched around the fast-food industry to win a contract based on these demands as a first step to winning them for all low-paid New Zealanders.

“We are seeking customer and community support at events like the Grey Lynn Festival and the Santa Parade, before we will take widespread industrial action,” he said.

The strike will only be held for about an hour, and customers and pedestrians will be offered free fair trade coffee at the event.

Internationally Starbucks has low union representation, with only 300 union members out of 80,000 workers globally.

One third of these union members are in New Zealand.

“Starbucks workers start on $10 an hour, only fifty cents above the minimum wage. Workers hours are not guaranteed and can, and have been, cut from 40 to 20 hours. In Australia, Starbucks workers earn almost $5 more per hour than their New Zealand workmates. We are only asking for $2 more per hour,” he concluded.

Unite has been in negotiations for several months with Restaurant Brands, which owns Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut in New Zealand.

Unite has 2000 members in the fast-food industry.

ENDS

Simon Oosterman is available for further information on 0274-555-789.

http://www.unite.org.nz

The website for Supersizemypay.com will be launched tomorrow for the action.
See also:
http://www.unite.org.nz
http://www.supersizemypay.com