Fair Pay Agreements: Protest outside Auckland CBD hotel – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

Members of Unite union and supporters picketed a hotel in downtown Auckland today, claiming management pressured workers into opting out of fair pay agreements.

But a manager said staff were “perplexed” at the protest outside
the President Hotel and rejected claims any such directive about fair pay agreements existed.

“We’ve been notifying employers about the hospitality fair pay agreements (FPA),” Unite national secretary John Crocker said outside the Victoria St West hotel this afternoon.

Unite said it had evidence of hotel management “pressuring” workers to opt out of the FPA.

Crocker said employers in the sector received a letter from the union and a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) form outlining how the new agreements worked.

“It’s a very big sector and we’ve just got a breadth of employer attitudes,” Crocker said.

He said some companies engaged constructively with staff and wanted to find common ground.

“Some actually want to treat their employees well, which is good. Others will just grind whatever they can out of their workers, bully them, push them down.”

Crocker said workers could opt out of FPAs but pressuring them to opt out was illegal.

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