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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 5]
Reality Of Kiwifruit Wages Not What Industry Claims
Thursday, 31 March 2022, 10:00 am | FIRST Union
Recent claims by kiwifruit employers that wages are now as high as $60 an hour are ‘total nonsense’ says FIRST Union, whose representatives are currently in collective bargaining with industry leader Seeka. Negotiations have revealed that most workers ... More >>
Social Income Insurance Scheme Provides Crucial Protection For Workers
Friday, 25 March 2022, 10:03 am | FIRST Union
"The tripartite agreement between business, Government and unions regarding the creation of a Social Income Insurance scheme is crucial to support people when they need security most, and proposed the scheme is a necessary step towards a better ... More >>
Commerce Commission Report Highlights Opportunity To Fix Supermarkets’ Real Problems
Wednesday, 9 March 2022, 10:31 am | FIRST Union
Yesterday’s report back from the Commerce Commission into Aotearoa’s supermarket duopoly of Countdown and Foodstuffs may have stopped short of recommending a breakup of the brands, but it has exposed important opportunities for reform that would enable ... More >>
No Reason To Underpay New Zealand Countdown Workers Any More
Monday, 7 March 2022, 12:19 pm | FIRST Union
With confirmation that workers from Australia have been brought in to fill staffing gaps at Countdown supermarkets and within its supply chain, New Zealand workers alongside them should immediately receive pay parity and be remunerated at the significantly ... More >>
CHEP Workers Win New Agreement After Weeks On The Picket Line
Friday, 4 March 2022, 1:50 pm | FIRST Union
Workers at CHEP service centre in Auckland - one of Aotearoa’s largest pallet suppliers - have voted unanimously in favour of a new agreement that contains meaningful pay increases, overtime rates for weekend work and a sign-on bonus after over a fortnight ... More >>
Next Covid Crisis Looms Without Employers Acting In Public Interest
Thursday, 3 March 2022, 10:03 am | FIRST Union
FIRST Union is cautioning that the next Covid-19 crisis in workplaces could be looming, as many employers are now forcing workers who need to self-isolate with symptoms or close contact relations to use sick and annual leave for their absences rather ... More >>
Bogus Trespass Order Served As CHEP Pallet Picket Holds The Line
Wednesday, 23 February 2022, 1:04 pm | FIRST Union
Strike action by CHEP workers at the Auckland service centre continues today following revelations that yesterday the company attempted to serve an unenforceable trespass order to prevent use of the footpath outside and break the picket line, FIRST Union ... More >>
CHEP Pallet Workers Strike Continues As Company Refuses To Negotiate
Friday, 18 February 2022, 7:43 am | FIRST Union
WHAT: Workers at CHEP, Aotearoa’s main supplier of pallets, are taking strike action for the second time and will picket outside the company’s service centre as negotiations falter over wages and conditions WHEN: Friday 18 February, 07:30-08:30 ... More >>
Time For Action On Contracting Loophole As Aramex Courier Drivers Consider Strike
Tuesday, 15 February 2022, 9:05 am | FIRST Union
With news that Aramex courier drivers, who are misclassified as independent contractors due to a legal loophole, are considering strike action, it’s time that the Government took action to fix a broken system and implement recommendations put forward by numerous ... More >>
Winstone Workers At Flat Top Quarry Down Their Tools For Strike Action
Friday, 11 February 2022, 9:29 am | FIRST Union
Winstone Aggregate workers, a part of the Fletcher Building Group, are taking strike action today as the company’s significant growth and forecasted revenues continue to surpass stagnating wages and the increasingly difficult work people are paid for, ... More >>
CHEP Pallet Suppliers To Strike After Months Negotiating Fair Wage Increases
Tuesday, 8 February 2022, 7:13 am | FIRST Union
WHAT: Workers at CHEP, Aotearoa’s main supplier of pallets, are taking strike action and will picket outside the company’s service centre as wage increases are denied WHEN: Tuesday 8 February, 07:00-08:00 WHERE: Outside CHEP’s Service Centre, ... More >>
Welcome! Veterinary Nurses To Unionise For The First Time
Wednesday, 2 February 2022, 12:31 pm | FIRST Union
FIRST Union is pleased to welcome veterinary nurses as the newest group of workers to unionise in search of better pay and conditions. The role is historically underpaid and has been hampered by gender pay equity discrepancies that have resulted in stagnant ... More >>
Business NZ’s Move On Fair Pay Is A Desperate Plea To Save Low-wage Economy
Thursday, 9 December 2021, 12:19 pm | FIRST Union
This morning’s announcement by industry group Business NZ that it intends to renege on participation in the development of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) alongside the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and Government represents an embarrassing turnaround and a ... More >>
Rotongaro Chicken Workers’ Wages Now Well Ahead Of The Flock
Wednesday, 1 December 2021, 9:08 am | First Union
FIRST Union and Cobb Vantress New Zealand (CVNZ) have settled a collective agreement that will see workers’ starting wages at the chicken farm and hatchery in Rotongaro increase by 17%, to a minimum of $24.50 per hour; $1.75 above the current Living ... More >>
Countdown DC Workers Win Settlement After 3-day Strike Action
Saturday, 27 November 2021, 5:58 am | FIRST Union
Countdown distribution centre workers from the company’s two sites in Auckland have signed a significant new agreement that will include a 5% wage rise for the next year and a 3.9% increase for a reduced 9-month term in the following year, FIRST ... More >>
Countdown DC Workers Take Action As Rising Cost Of Living In Auckland Goes Unmet
Tuesday, 23 November 2021, 7:45 pm | First Union
Around 700 essential workers at two Countdown distribution centre sits in Auckland are taking strike action today after the supermarket chain has rejected pay increases in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during bargaining for a new Collective ... More >>
Uber’s NZ Tax Gap Estimated On Heels Of Global Taxation Reform
Thursday, 18 November 2021, 7:03 am | FIRST Union
Joint media release: Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR), FIRST Union and E tū Following a meeting of world leaders to finalise global rules on multinational tax avoidance, an alliance of groups has estimated ... More >>
The Warehouse Distribution Centre Workers Strike During Bargaining
Tuesday, 16 November 2021, 7:28 am | FIRST Union
Workers at The Warehouse Group’s distribution centre in Auckland have voted to take strike action and will withdraw their labour today following the company’s refusal to address structural wage issues and precarious work during a drawn-out ... More >>
Transport Workers Call For Radical Transformation To Public Ownership
Saturday, 6 November 2021, 8:49 pm | First Union
As members of the Labour Party get ready for their 2021 Conference, four transport unions - representing 40,000 workers across Aotearoa - have written to the Party leadership, calling for a new level of ambition to match the scale of the climate ... More >>
Proposing A New Ministry Of Green Works To Tackle Housing, Infrastructure, Climate
Thursday, 28 October 2021, 6:52 pm | First Union
WHAT: An ambitious approach to housing, infrastructure and climate change is urgently required to deal with the challenges of both today and tomorrow. FIRST Union has commissioned a report from co-authors Max Harris and Jacqueline Paul that examines ... More >>
