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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 6]
Hundreds Of Drivers Lodging Backpay Claims With Uber
Wednesday, 7 December 2022, 7:05 am | First Union
Hundreds of Uber drivers who say they’re owed thousands of dollars in backpay by Uber have today begun submitting their claims to the Employment Relations Authority. FIRST Union, the union representing these drivers, says the claims will continue ... More >>
OCR Hike Disproportionately Hurts Workers - Time For A New Approach
Thursday, 24 November 2022, 1:26 pm | FIRST Union
FIRST Union is concerned that yesterday’s unprecedented 75 basis point OCR hike will unnecessarily punish lower-income workers and is calling for a new approach that shares the burden more appropriately. "Yesterday’s monetary policy statement ... More >>
50th Anniversary Of End Of Compulsory Military Training Remembered
Wednesday, 23 November 2022, 12:09 pm | FIRST Union
This weekend sees the 50th anniversary celebration of the short but successful 1972 campaign to get rid of compulsory military training for 19-year-old males in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Campaigners and military service resisters will meet in Wellington ... More >>
Countdown Workers Sign Major New Deal That Could Form Basis For FPA
Thursday, 3 November 2022, 5:31 am | First Union
Thousands of FIRST Union members at Countdown supermarkets have voted to accept a significant new 2-year Collective Agreement that includes wage increases of around 12%, a starting Living Wage, improvements to pandemic leave and sick leave, and commitments ... More >>
Nats Tax Plan Would Rob The Poor To Pay The Rich (again)
Wednesday, 2 November 2022, 12:51 pm | FIRST Union
Research released today by the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) shows the opposition National Party’s headline tax policy - a key component of their response to the cost of living crisis - would widen inequality with luxurious tax cuts for the rich, ... More >>
Bus And Supermarket Workers Celebrate Passing Of Fair Pay Agreements
Wednesday, 26 October 2022, 6:39 pm | First Union
With today’s passing of the long-awaited Fair Pay Agreement legislation, Aotearoa is on track for a fairer and more prosperous future, and FIRST Union members from the bus and supermarket sectors were celebrating as two of the industries likely ... More >>
SGS Oil And Gas Workers’ Strike Begins Across North Island
Wednesday, 19 October 2022, 8:21 am | FIRST Union
FIRST Union members who work for the Société Générale de Surveillance ( SGS ) in Ruakaka, New Plymouth, Napier and Tauranga are today beginning a full withdrawal of labour until the 25 th of October following unsuccessful negotiations over a new ... More >>
SGS Oil And Gas Workers Vote To Strike Over Pay
Tuesday, 11 October 2022, 10:17 am | First Union
A strike notice has been issued by FIRST Union members at oil and gas service company SGS , instructing the company that workers will withdraw their labour from October 19 as talks stall over pay increases in line with inflation and the rising cost of ... More >>
Outlier Councils Now Lagging Behind Effective National Pay Rate For Bus Drivers
Tuesday, 11 October 2022, 9:06 am | FIRST Union
Following confirmation this week that Bay of Plenty (Regional) Council are the latest region to approve pay increases for bus drivers to effective national rates of $28 per hour, FIRST Union is now calling on the remaining councils including Northland, ... More >>
Free Kimchi-topped Hotdogs For Truck Drivers In The Name Of Safety
Tuesday, 27 September 2022, 6:08 am | FIRST Union
FIRST Union is giving away free kimchi-topped hotdogs to truck drivers at a pop-up truck stop in Onehunga today, in a show of solidarity with drivers in South Korea fighting to safeguard and advance their "Safe Rates" system, which sets ... More >>
Gib Board Truck Drivers Walk Off The Job For Wage Increases
Tuesday, 20 September 2022, 6:06 am | FIRST Union
FIRST Union members at CV Compton Ltd in Penrose walked off the job today to improve their wage offer. The gib board transportation company had offered a range of iwage increases starting as low as 1%. FIRST Union spokesperson, Emreck Brown said "CV ... More >>
FIRST Union, Fuel Tanker Truck Drivers At SouthFuels Limited Have Issued A Strike Notice
Tuesday, 30 August 2022, 1:02 pm | FIRST Union
FIRST Union, Fuel tanker truck drivers at SouthFuels Limited have issued a strike notice. The strike will last two months, beginning on 12 September and will last until 12 November 2022. FIRST Union Drivers are striking for equal conditions - under ... More >>
Moratorium Needed On Disastrous ‘Sector Agreements’ Proposal
Tuesday, 23 August 2022, 7:14 am | FIRST Union
FIRST Union is calling for a moratorium on planned ‘sector agreements’ while real consultation on the controversial policy is carried out with unions and affected workforces, cautioning that the short-sighted migration changes will drive down wages ... More >>
Sector Agreements: "We Never Would Have Supported This"
Monday, 22 August 2022, 9:07 am | FIRST Union
The so-called sector ‘agreements’ concerning migrant labour announced yesterday will undermine wages and conditions in key sectors and would have never been agreed to if actual consultation had taken place, according to FIRST Union General Secretary ... More >>
Bus Drivers Celebrate Path To Public Ownership
Wednesday, 17 August 2022, 5:13 pm | First Union
The announcement that the new Sustainable Public Transport Framework (SPTF) will provide a pathway towards public ownership of our bus services is an important first step that has taken years to negotiate, and it is being welcomed by bus drivers, ... More >>
Wellington Free Ambulance Suggests Pay Cut During First Responder Crisis
Wednesday, 10 August 2022, 7:15 am | FIRST Union
Bargaining between Wellington Free Ambulance and FIRST Union ambulance officers has been cut short by the employer following an effective offer of a 6% pay cut for frontline responders, and strike action is under consideration in the capital, said ... More >>
A Labour Market Correction, Not A Wage-price Spiral
Wednesday, 3 August 2022, 11:35 am | FIRST Union
Labour market data out today confirms that the tight labour market is finally giving workers across the economy the pay increases they deserve. "The 6.4% annual increase in the average wage is good news for workers, who are struggling with a ... More >>
South Island Timber Workers Strike For Decent Living Wages
Monday, 25 July 2022, 11:41 am | FIRST Union
Workers at a large Nelson timber processing plant made the snap decision to strike today to fight for decent pay that is locally competitive and will attract and retain staff at the sawmill. Around 60 E tū and FIRST Union members at South Pine in Nelson ... More >>
Ambulance Officers Call For Public Ownership On First International Paramedics Day
Friday, 8 July 2022, 6:39 am | FIRST Union
On the first ever International Paramedics Day , ambulance officers at St John and Wellington Free Ambulance are petitioning for the service to be returned to public ownership as part of current health system restructures, amid rising concerns about ... More >>
Aucklanders Overwhelmingly Support Fare Free Public Transport
Wednesday, 29 June 2022, 12:28 pm | First Union
New polling out this morning confirms that Aucklanders overwhelmingly support fare free public transport. These results follow the release of a report jointly co-commissioned by FIRST Union and the NZ Public Service Association Te Kauae Kaimahi, making the ... More >>
