Friday, May 30, 2014

NZ: International Support Helps Brings Toll to Negotiations

FIRST Union members ratified the new collective agreement with Toll Carriers on 27 May, following the deal being reached in mediation on 26 May.


IndustriALL intervened with BP on 13 May to call for them to force their contractor to the negotiating table with FIRST Union and reach a fair agreement in line with the national standard for the industry.
Hundreds of supporters sent messages through the IndustriALL online solidarity tool to Toll management.

FIRST Union general secretary Robert Reid reported:
Toll remained an aggressive employer right to the end, even beginning the mediation session arguing against a Collective Agreement. However with the strike, pickets of BP petrol stations and international solidarity work continuing, Toll finally agreed to a settlement.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan congratulated FIRST Union general secretary Robert Reid:
IndustriALL Global Union is happy and proud to have contributed to the solution of this problem. This is our raison d’etre and we will continue to do so.

FIRST Union organizer Jared Abbott said that workers were happy with the settlement and were looking forward to getting back to work.
In the end the workers were happy to achieve a new collective agreement that included a decent wage increase.
Jared Abbott said the workers were very thankful for all the local and international community support they had received over the past month.


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