Countdown strike 'likely' to extend beyond midnight as stock runs low in supermarkets across the country

Friday, 26 November 2021

Stock shortages have hit Countdown hard as 700 distribution workers continue to strike for better pay.

It is likely the 700 Countdown distribution workers will continue to strike beyond midnight, First Union says.

Some of the supermarket's shelves across the country have been stripped bare as product movement stalls.

The workers have been on strike since midnight on Tuesday, after the supermarket chain declined to offer pay increases in line with the consumer price index (CPI) during bargaining for a new collective agreement.

The strike was set to end at midnight on Friday, but First Union spokesman Jared Abbott said that was now unlikely.

“There’s clearly massive shortages of stock in their supermarkets,” First Union spokesman Jared Abbott said.

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“Members will be having discussions today, but I think it is quite likely that the strike will extend out beyond midnight tonight,” he said.

There was anger among the workers, who felt like they were not being listened to by the company, he said.

“For them to tell their workers that it's unreasonable for them to expect to keep up with the cost of living is really quite insulting.

“They keep saying asking for a cost of living increase is unreasonable when it’s literally a third of the company's increased profits for the year,” Abbott said.

Earlier in the week a Countdown spokeswoman warned there would be stock delays in store and online over the next few days and possibly weeks.

“There’s clearly massive shortages of stock in their supermarkets,” Abbott said.

Supermarket shelves, particularly in the upper North Island, had been left bare, and night fill staff had been sent home due to a lack of work, he said.

The Countdown spokeswoman said there was no update on the negotiations.

“We don’t have anything to update at this stage other than we’re continuing to negotiate with union representatives to reach a fair agreement,” she said.

“We’ll do our best to ensure we can continue to deliver essential food and products into our stores,” she said.