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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Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.6% Summer
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35.9% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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