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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 67]
New Zealand Sugar Company Strike
Thursday, 18 August 2005, 4:50 pm | National Distribution Union
Members of the National Distribution Union employed by the NZ Sugar Company, Chelsea Refinery, commenced an indefinite strike at 9.30am Thursday 18 August 2005. The strike is the result of a breakdown in negotiations for the renewal of the collective employment ... More >>
Vulnerable Worker Ends Up Winning Increased Wage
Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 1:17 pm | National Distribution Union
In 2003 Carl Skivington was sacked from his job at Woolworth’s Distribution Centre in Hornby, and then, under a loophole in trading laws exploited by parent company Progressive Enterprises, rehired the next day for the same job. The setback: his ... More >>
BNZ and Westpac share common problem
Thursday, 4 August 2005, 3:09 pm | Finsec
Union members at BNZ and Westpac Banks, the second and third biggest banks in New Zealand, have just completed three weeks of stopwork meetings. The meetings identified issues that workers want to raise at their upcoming negotiations. Although the banks ... More >>
Historical Day For National Distrubution Union
Tuesday, 2 August 2005, 1:20 pm | National Distribution Union
“An historical day for our union,” crowed a triumphant Mike Jackson, national secretary of the National Distribution Union, as he announced today both a significant pay increase and the merging of three union agreements into a single collective for union ... More >>
Nats would give regulation of NZ banks to Aussies
Friday, 29 July 2005, 12:06 am | Finsec
The National Party’s banking policy would hand control of New Zealand’s banking industry over to Australia. At present New Zealand banks are regulated by the Reserve Bank. National’s proposal, as outlined by its finance spokesperson, John Keys, would be ... More >>
ANZ National workers narrowly accept bank offer
Friday, 24 June 2005, 5:56 pm | Finsec
Workers at ANZ National Bank have voted by a slim margin to accept their bank’s latest employment offer. This brings to an end one of the largest private sector employment negotiations in New Zealand; negotiations which were marked by the largest industrial ... More >>
Mediated Negotiations Conclude
Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 5:23 pm | Finsec
Two days of mediated negotiations between ANZ National Bank and their staff representatives Finsec, the finance sector union, concluded today at 4:30 p.m. More >>
Young bankers look to mediation with hope
Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:58 am | Finsec
ANZ National Bank and its workers will enter mediation tomorrow following a month of nationwide rolling strikes. The two parties will attempt, with the assistance of a mediator from the Employment Relations Service, to resolve employment negotiations, ... More >>
Finsec statement is incorrect and refuted
Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 12:10 am | Finsec
You may be aware of the media statement last night attributed to our campaign director. This statement is incorrect and refuted. We regret any confusion that this has caused. The bank and Finsec remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached and the mediation ... More >>
Strike action leads to new offer from ANZ National
Friday, 3 June 2005, 1:58 pm | Finsec
Yesterday ANZ National Bank wrote to Finsec (the union representing bank staff) with a new offer that now includes a 5% pay rise for a 16 month term, instead of the previous offer of 3.75% for 12 months. More >>
Rural settlements date this week, but no workers
Wednesday, 1 June 2005, 11:52 am | Finsec
The rural lending settlements team for ANZ National Bank, who process significant rural business transactions such as farm mortgages, joined their colleagues’ nationwide rolling strikes yesterday and again today. This week, known as ‘rural settlements ... More >>
Bank workers vote for strikes to continue
Tuesday, 31 May 2005, 8:44 am | Finsec
ANZ National Bank workers have once again voted to reject the bank’s employment offer and will continue nationwide rolling strikes. Staff who are represented by Finsec, the finance sector union, rejected the bank’s offer by a 73% majority. This is now ... More >>
New CEO for ANZ National Bank – An Australian
Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 3:06 pm | Finsec
Finsec, the union representing bank workers, has reason to believe the CEO of ANZ National Bank (and previously National Bank), Sir John Anderson, is likely to be replaced as early as the end of the year by an Australian. More >>
Banks ignore rural New Zealand as strikes continue
Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 11:03 am | Finsec
While ANZ National Bank is striving to keep its big city branches open in the midst of rolling strikes, it is letting rural and suburban branches close, or remain open with severly reduced staff numbers. More >>
Strikes Enter Third Week - Union Proposes Talks
Monday, 23 May 2005, 5:01 pm | Finsec
Nationwide rolling strikes at ANZ National Bank enter their third week today, following the bank walking out on employment negotiations on 6 May. Workers at the bank are seeking fair compensation for working weekends and evenings, and assurances that ... More >>
ANZ National Bank makes $6,000 per minute
Friday, 13 May 2005, 2:48 pm | Finsec
A recently released KPMG financial performance survey records that ANZ National Bank made $680 million net profit in New Zealand last year. That¹s over $6,000 per minute. More >>
ANZ National prepares to suspend staff
Friday, 13 May 2005, 8:30 am | Finsec
ANZ National have today issued format suspension notices to managers, which they can sign and give to staff. More >>
Rolling strikes spread around the country
Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 4:26 pm | Finsec
* Bank workers who deal with Visa, MasterCard and EFTPOS transactions at ANZ and National banks have just walked off the job in Wellington this afternoon and are picketing on Molesworth St. More >>
Bank staff start rolling strikes - Where next?
Monday, 9 May 2005, 3:49 pm | Finsec
9 May 2005 For immediate release Bank staff start rolling strikes - Where will be next? More >>
Bank Walks Out On Talks, Staff Set To Strike
Friday, 6 May 2005, 4:16 pm | Finsec
ANZ National Bank collective agreement discussions broke down today following the bank making no movement on its offer and then walking out on negotiations. The eight ANZ and National bank staff who have been negotiating the collective employment agreement ... More >>
