More than 100 workers at a Wairarapa bacon company are taking industrial action from midnight tonight, calling for better pay.
Photo: Facebook / Premier Bacon
E Tū Union said about 150 workers at Beehive Bacon in Carterton would refuse to carry out overtime until the dispute was resolved.
Union spokesperson Mark James said the company depended on staff working overtime, as the plant was healthy and doing good business.
The workers were seeking a pay rise of 75c an hour, he said, along with an extra day of sick leave and bereavement leave.
"Our members work in a cold, damp environment with temperatures below four degrees, so they get sick more often.
"And because they work with food, they may be required to stay away from work if they catch a bug - and some must do this when they have no sick leave left."
Mr James said the total cost of meeting the workers' demands would be about $180,000 for a company, which made more than $5 million in profits last year.
"Our members need just a tiny portion of Premier Bacon's profit to meet these claims."
Mr James said the company was investing about $15 million in expansion plans and the workers' claim was worth just 1.6 percent of that amount.
The workers were Beehive Bacon's biggest asset and they should be respected.
RNZ sought comment from Beehive Bacon, but they did not respond.
