Source: Workers First Union Statement
Pak’N’Save Richmond workers are calling out their “Kiwi owned and operated” bosses after a 6-month bargaining ordeal for attempting to drive down average supermarket wages, undermining union rights, and giving loyal staff a raw deal, all the while pocketing healthy profits for themselves.
Bargaining with the store’s owners, Glenn and Tracey Anderson, has dragged on since January 2025 with no meaningful progress, according to Ross Lampert, Workers First National Organiser (Retail Food). Mr Lampert said that the company refuses to offer industry-standard basics like a staff discount or long service leave, and their latest pay offer after six months of bargaining falls well below inflation, meaning a real-terms pay cut for workers who are already struggling with the cost of living.
“This is exactly what happens when the Foodstuffs model lets individual owners race each other to the bottom – it’s Kiwis fleecing other Kiwis,” said Mr Lampert. “They proudly talk about ‘investing in the team’ while they chip away at pay, undermine union rights, and break the law to keep wages low.”
Pak’N’Save Richmond has a long history of anti-union behaviour, Mr Lampert said. Workers have been offered higher wages to sign Individual Employment Agreements instead of the union-negotiated Collective, which is a clear breach of employment law. The union holds documented evidence, including payslips showing two different rates offered for the same role at the same time, with the only difference being union membership.
One worker at the store, commenting anonymously due to restrictions on public speech contained in company policy, said: “Customers are always shocked we don’t even get a staff discount, let alone a living wage.”
Another store worker said: “Management tries to scare people away from the union and bully staff into signing individual deals. It’s a scam.”
The company has also attempted to restrict access for union organisers by actively trying to block Mr Lampert’s ability to go into certain areas, behaving aggressively and hiding workers from having fair representation. This intimidation has left many staff afraid to speak up, but Workers First members say they are ready to stand strong together and take further action if needed.
“This is why Fair Pay Agreements were so important,” said Mr Lampert. “They were designed to stop exactly this kind of race to the bottom, but our current Government scrapped them, leaving workers exposed to shoddy operators like these who are determined to keep supermarket workers teetering on the edge of poverty.”
“Even the Australian chains like Woolworths treat Kiwi workers better than these ‘proudly Kiwi’ owners.”
“Kiwi shoppers deserve to know that the people stacking their shelves and serving them every day are being paid fairly and treated with respect. Right now, that’s not happening at Pak’nSave Richmond.”
Background information
- Workers First Union holds documented evidence of unlawful pay preference as described above – it is available to media on request.
- Bargaining between Workers First and Pak’N’Save Richmond was initiated on 30 January 2025.
- The company is currently in the process of expanding the physical footprint of the Pak’N’Save Richmond store into Richmond mall, prompting the displacement of at least 14 other retail stores.
