One of New Zealand's biggest fast-food chains has bowed to public pressure and abandoned zero-hour contracts.
Today the union representing restaurant workers met with other fast-food chains and says it will call for a boycott if they don't guarantee work to their employees by the end of the year.
For the past three years KFC worker Lucan Turnbull hasn't known when to expect his next pay cheque and how much it will be.
"I was on about a 35-hour week and I was cut down to 10, if not less, and I was barely making enough," says Mr Turnball. "I actually had to borrow some money to be able to get to work. I just think it's greed, to be honest."
Unite Union national director Mike Treen says the employees deserve to be treated better.
"They are not some mum-and-pop corner dairy. This is big business with tens of thousands of employees."
But last night there was a breakthrough - one of the biggest fast-food chains announced it would abandon zero-hour contracts from July.
Restaurant Brands told 3 News in a statement: "The new collective agreement will provide security for both employees and the company. We believe this is a win-win for all employees, the union, the company."
Unite believes other fast-food workers will also have guaranteed work by the end of the year.
"2015, in my view, is the year for the end of zero-hour contracts," says Mr Treen.
A campaign to end zero-hours at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's will begin next week.
"We will be asking people to go to our website and sign letters and send letters to those companies, because we can't do this on our own," says Mr Treen.
The Government says it's tightening rules around zero-hour contracts and hopes to be able to make an announcement by the middle of the year.
3 News
source: newshub archive
