Labour welcomes Talleys AFFCO settlement

Workers and their families will be relieved that the Talley’s AFFCO dispute has finally been settled after three long months of uncertainty and hardship, says Darien Fenton, Labour’s spokesperson for labour issues.

“These workers have suffered all kinds of dirty tricks, including lockouts and bad faith bargaining in the course of the negotiations.

“I am pleased to see the Employment Court has very strongly signalled that this kind of behaviour is inconsistent with the requirements of good faith under our current legislation.

“Labour would like to recognise the involvement of Iwi leaders in today’s resolution and hope that this signals a new beginning for Talleys AFFCO in their relationship with the union.

“Resolutions such as this underline the importance of the requirement to conclude collective bargaining, which the government plans to remove.

“From here we hope to see the relationship between Talleys AFFCO, the union and their members gain strength on the basis of fair treatment, employment security and the protection of wages.

“Unfortunately, changes to employment law planned by the government may see more protracted disputes of this nature,” Darien Fenton said.