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FIRST Union
Putting Workers First
FIRST Union is New Zealand's second-largest private sector trade union.
Formed in 2011 after the merger between the National Distribution Union and Finsec, FIRST Union represents 27,000 workers in the Finance, Industrial (Textile and Wood), Retail, Stores, Transport and Logistics sectors.
FIRST Union is also affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and runs several networks including the Union Network of Migrants, the Runanga, Fono and Womens' Committee. In 2015 FIRST Union launched Samoa First Union, Samoa's only private sector union.
Join FIRST Union today for higher pay, better conditions and more say at work.
FIRST Union - Latest News [Page 46]
Spare a thought for those at work over the holidays
Sunday, 26 December 2010, 10:48 am | National Distribution Union
Media Release: National Distribution Union Saturday December 25, 2010. Spare a thought for those at work over the holidays The National Distribution Union is asking the public to spare a thought for people working on Christmas Day and other public holidays ... More >>
ACC privatisation Xmas Pressy For Aussie Insurance companies
Tuesday, 21 December 2010, 4:46 pm | Finsec
Bank workers’ union Finsec says the Government’s plan to offer Australian owned insurance companies access to New Zealand workplace insurance is a Christmas present to the industry but a disaster for workers and the economy. More >>
Defending Clothing Jobs
Wednesday, 15 December 2010, 11:51 am | National Distribution Union
The union representing textile and clothing workers in New Zealand has reacted positively to the announcement that Yakka Apparel Solutions (YASL) has been awarded a five year contract to supply clothing and personal support items to the NZ Defence Force. More >>
Redundancies announced as economic outlook worsens
Wednesday, 15 December 2010, 9:24 am | National Distribution Union
Today's worsening economic outlook will be felt especially hard in Kawerau, where 26 sawmill workers have just been told they are to lose their jobs. More >>
Finsec backs unemployed workers’ message to banks
Monday, 6 December 2010, 12:07 pm | finsec
Bank workers’ union Finsec is supporting today’s action by unemployed workers to show the human face of unemployment. “The banks need to show compassion to the jobless,” said Finsec General Secretary Andrew Casidy. “Bank economists and their ... More >>
Groups Urge PMs To Reject US Investment Demands This Week
Sunday, 5 December 2010, 10:29 am | National Distribution Union
Days before talks in Auckland on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, civil society groups from Australia and NZ have sent a joint open letter to their PMs urging them to adopt a progressive and balanced approach to foreign investment. More >>
Leaked NZ Paper Reveals Rift With US In Agreement
Sunday, 5 December 2010, 10:20 am | National Distribution Union
On the eve of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Auckland, a leaked negotiating document has exposed a fundamental conflict between the US and New Zealand positions on intellectual property. More >>
English should work with Aussies to fix CEO pay
Thursday, 18 November 2010, 3:41 pm | Finsec
Bank workers’ union Finsec is urging Finance Minister Bill English to work with his Australian counterpart Wayne Swan on rules governing bank executive pay. More >>
Westpac CEO pay unethical says union
Wednesday, 17 November 2010, 8:43 am | finsec
Bank workers' union Finsec says the $5.59 million pay package of Westpac CEO George Frazis is unethical given the current economic conditions and the tax payer support of the bank over the past year. More >>
Shop worker disappointed with employment vote
Thursday, 11 November 2010, 2:56 pm | National Distribution Union
Shop worker disappointed with employment vote today Shop worker Margaret Dornan is gutted that Parliament has ignored her submission on employment law changes, being debated in Parliament this afternoon. Margaret said that she and several other members ... More >>
Deregulation policies have failed the economy
Wednesday, 3 November 2010, 2:29 pm | National Distribution Union
Don Brash’s deregulation policies are the same ones that sent the global economy into recession, and will do nothing to close the Australian wage gap, the National Distribution Union said today. More >>
Economists’ statement on unemployment offensive
Wednesday, 3 November 2010, 11:52 am | finsec
Bank workers union Finsec says the BNZ economists who think that unemployment in 2008 was artificially low should spend some time with those looking for work to better understand the full impact of being jobless. More >>
Union wage settlements outstrip average
Tuesday, 2 November 2010, 12:04 pm | National Distribution Union
Workers who are in unions are winning wage increases far in excess of the national average, a private sector union said today. More >>
Govt Committee calls 90 day law offensive - to Key
Wednesday, 20 October 2010, 10:55 am | National Distribution Union
The National Distribution Union is disgusted with a letter sent to one of its retail worker members by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. More >>
Australian and International Unions Join protest
Wednesday, 13 October 2010, 1:01 pm | National Distribution Union
The Transport Workers Union of Australia (TWU) has travelled to New Zealand to support a dozen Transpacific employees on a one-week strike after the management of the multinational company told the workers the offer was reflective of pay increases across their global ... More >>
Easter trading status quo best for workers
Wednesday, 8 September 2010, 4:37 pm | National Distribution Union
The best way to protect workers under the Easter trading law is to vote to retain the status quo, the union for retail workers says. More >>
Retailers not serious about Easter trading vote
Tuesday, 7 September 2010, 5:47 pm | National Distribution Union
Retailers are not serious about tomorrow night’s vote on Easter trading, after a hastily conducted lobbying effort got basic details about MPs wrong, and is itself contradictory, the union for retail workers says. More >>
Staff take action against less than perfect banks
Friday, 3 September 2010, 10:45 am | finsec
Staff across ANZ and National banks are holding a day of action today in response to proposals by the bank to drive down wages, for failing to address customer debt targets and refusing to rule out further job offshoring. More >>
ANZ staff to work 10 days straight
Thursday, 2 September 2010, 11:43 am | finsec
ANZ staff who work in a Wellington-based call centre that handles calls from customers in Australia are going public over their employment conditions which can see them work up to 10 days straight and in unhealthy shift patterns. More >>
A tale of two banks
Saturday, 28 August 2010, 3:35 pm | finsec
A tale of two banks Westpac staff celebrate settlement - Public campaign launched by staff against ANZ More >>
