Workers striking today for an end to zero-hour contracts at McDonald's and Wendy's restaurants hope to improve working conditions not just for themselves, but thousands of others across New Zealand and the world.
Members of Unite Union will walk off the job today to protest the contracts, which force employees to be available for work without the guarantee of getting any.
Fast-food operator Restaurant Brands, which owns the KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Carl's Jr chains, recently announced it would be phasing out zero-hour contracts, eventually moving to fixed shifts for all its employees. In the meantime, workers will be guaranteed at least 80 percent of the average number of hours worked each week over the previous 12.
And Burger King last night revealed it too would be ending zero-hour contracts, and moving towards offering staff fixed shifts within six months.
McDonald's on the other hand is promising employees 80 percent of their rostered hours – which though superficially similar to Restaurant Brands' transitional offer, can be manipulated by managers looking to punish employees, says Unite organiser Joe Carolan.
He says unions only have access to their members' wages and how many hours they've worked – not how many hours they've been rostered on.
"It gives all power to the companies to decide the rosters. We have no input over that, no control, no way of verifying what rostered hours are – are they in fact the real hours that workers work? No," says Mr Carolan.
"What they're trying to do is a PR spin so that they're in there as good guys like Restaurant Brands, right? It's absolute bulls**t."
McDonald's says Unite have walked away from the bargaining table and says the union has been planning the strike "for several weeks".
"Whether it's scheduled or worked hours, we're committed to moving away from zero hours contracts and we're committed to bargaining and working through the detail with Unite union," says communications manager Kim Bartlett.
McDonald's insists it is committed to negotiation, and that its offer is not a zero-hours contract in disguise.
But the union has no plans to call off industrial action because it doesn't trust McDonald's to adhere to the "spirit" of what it's offering, and there's no promise of the company eventually offering fixed shifts.
Two years ago he says McDonald's and Unite came to an agreement that the company would offer new shifts to its existing employees looking for more work first, rather than hire new people.
"We did it in the cinemas [and it worked]. The average hours worked has moved up to 25.6, right, and there's 100 less people employed by Event and Hoyts on bulls**t hours. They've stopped hiring new people.
"Now McDonald's could have done that, but they didn't do that. They haven't implemented the spirit of that, which is why the delegates will not be bought off by another fix. They're really highly focused on the detail."
Instead, he says "petty and vindictive" McDonald's bosses keep hiring new staff so they roster off employees they don't like, and still have staff desperate for work willing to come in at a moment's notice.
"Zero hours allows you to control your workforce in ways that you couldn't if you had people on fixed hours… Somebody goes with somebody else's girlfriend and you know, they punish them through the hours," says Mr Carolan.
"You look at Balmoral McDonald's… [the owner's] got a sign out there 'now hiring'. It's been there for three years and they just hire, hire, hire, and people were still scrambling for hours."
Mr Carolan believes the outcome of Unite's fight with McDonald's could set the benchmark for possible changes to employment law, following the Government's review of zero-hours contracts.
Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse and Prime Minister John Key have both indicated the practise could be outlawed. Mr Woodhouse initiated a review last year, and is awaiting the outcome before he makes a final decision.
"We can expect to get some good advice about that to make some changes in that bill to effectively rule out those kind of punitive provisions," he told TVNZ earlier this week.
"Even if it is a relatively low incidence in our employment, it's probably worth ruling them out, for the sake of certainty for those vulnerable workers."
Mr Carolan has confidence the minister will stick to his word because unlike some others the union has tackled, the issue of zero-hour contracts has captured the hearts and minds of middle New Zealand.
"This issue has mobilised New Zealand in a way that others haven't. You know the issues that we would be protesting about – most of the left, maybe union people would support, but middle New Zealand would be 'whatever'.
"I've been to dinner parties with people… and they're all right behind this. I've had people that we do business with – small businesspeople… and they're like, 'nah, zero-hours is bunk'."
Mr Carolan says it's looking increasingly likely thanks to the efforts of low-paid employees and forward-thinking business owners, New Zealand could be the first Western country in the world to abolish the controversial practise.
"Whatever we get, I think the Government will base a lot of its legislation for the rest of the workers in New Zealand. We've got a big responsibility here, do you know what I mean? It's not just about the 12,000 McDonald's workers – if we crack this, it will be the basis going forward for every worker in New Zealand to be offered fixed shifts when they're employed.
"Beyond New Zealand, it's of global significance because as far as we know, in every other Western economy they're moving towards more liberalisation, more zero-hour contracts. This is a trend that's happening everywhere."
Workers in Auckland will strike at 12pm, gathering outside Britomart for a demonstration. McDonald's employees in Palmerston North and Wellington will walk off the job at the same time, while those in Christchurch and Dunedin will at 6pm and 5pm, respectively.
3 News
source: newshub archive
