Living wage deal leads to pay boost for thousands of Countdown staff
The move comes after the company struck a deal with FIRST Union guaranteeing workers a living wage. The deal will see employees who have spent 12 months or more working at the company get an increase from the current pay rate, which is close to the minimum wage of $17.70 an hour, to a living wage of $21.15 an hour. The increase will come into effect from September next year. FIRST Union said the deal came after many months of "tireless" work from all sides. "Our members are thrilled to have stood together, negotiated together, and held out for a great deal that recognises their hard work and provides a clear pathway to the living wage," said Tali Williams, FIRST Union Secretary for retail, finance and commerce. According to Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand, the living wage is defined as "the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life."
It is calculated independently by the New Zealand Family Centre Social Policy Unit and is updated each year.
Michelle Mckenzie, who has worked at Countdown for more than eight years, says the extra money will make a big difference. "A wage rise like this means we can spend less time worrying about making ends meet at home, making us less stressed at work and feeling more secure about our futures," she said. "In my life, it's huge. I have four older kids, and as a family, we can start to do more of the things together that we've sometimes missed out on in the past - $2 or $3 an hour is a really big deal when it comes to living a good life and spending time with your family." Countdown says it is proud of the change. "We're proud to be a good employer and ensuring our team can continue to grow their earning ability is a key part of this," says Brett Ashley, the company's general manager operations. "We've worked hard with FIRST Union to develop a fair path to more income for our team while also balancing the realities of keeping and creating jobs, and keeping food prices affordable for New Zealanders."
FIRST Union said it hopes the deal will set a precedent for other supermarkets to follow.
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Auckland Seniors & Travel Expo
Neighbourhood locals are invited to the Auckland Seniors & Travel Expo, a relaxed and welcoming event bringing lifestyle, leisure, and travel together under one roof. Meet 50+ exhibitors showcasing travel ideas, retirement living, mobility solutions, health services, finance, and local clubs. Enjoy live music from Kulios, café seating, door prizes, and be in to win a Luxury Beachfront Escape for Two to Rarotonga.
North Harbour Stadium
28 February & 1 March
10:00am – 3:00pm
$10 entry
Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙
One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.
So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?
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60% Yes, supporting people is important!
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25.7% No, individuals should take responsibility
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14.3% ... It is complicated
Even Australians get it - so why not Kiwis???
“Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some outages.
On Australia’s main grid last quarter, renewables and energy storage contributed more than 50% of supplied electricity for the first time, while wholesale power prices were more than 40% lower than a year earlier.
[…] shifting demand from gas and coal for power and petrol for cars is likely to deliver significantly lower energy bills for households.
Last quarter, wind generation was up almost 30%, grid solar 15% and grid-scale batteries almost tripled their output. Gas generation fell 27% to its lowest level for a quarter century, while coal fell 4.6% to its lowest quarterly level ever.
Gas has long been the most expensive way to produce power. Gas peaking plants tend to fire up only when supply struggles to meet demand and power prices soar. Less demand for gas has flowed through to lower wholesale prices.”
Full article: www.theguardian.com...
If even Australians see the benefit of solar - then why is NZ actively boycotting solar uptake? The increased line rental for electricity was done to make solar less competitive and prevent cost per kWh to rise even more than it did - and electricity costs are expected to rise even more. Especially as National favours gas - which is the most expensive form of generating electricity. Which in turn will accelerate Climate Change, as if New Zealand didn’t have enough problems with droughts, floods, slips, etc. already.
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