Supersizing pay in NZ
On the issue of industrial relations, Australia might do well to turn to its neighbour across the Tasman Sea, to get a few tips. Over a decade ago New Zealand passed similar laws to Australia’s Workchoices legislation – as a result wages dropped, penalty rates and overtime were slashed overnight and the role of unions was severely reduced in workplaces. Well, emerging from that turmoil in 2004 was Unite, a union representing workers in the fast food and catering industries. Under its recent campaign supersizemy pay.com, Unite has been instrumental in forcing some big brand outlets such as Star Bucks and Pizza Hut to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour, up from as little as $9.50. One of the organizers behind Unite is Joe Carolan spoke to the Wire about the rise of Unite.