Rudd Hughes: Deputy Secretary of Retail at Workers First Union on Kmart staff receiving a new 2-year pay deal

A win for Kmart workers, whose union says it's secured an industry-leading deal. 

Worker First Union says it's ratified a two-year pay deal matching the minimum living wage - and rising alongside its increase next year. 

Deputy Secretary of Retail at Workers First Union, Rudd Hughes, says this deal is a 'gold standard' for retail workers - and he hopes other retailers can follow suit.

"It's not that they can't afford not to do it, we've asked for the details of their finances and they've refused to give them to us. The Norman family themselves, since 2017, have gone from $500 million net worth to over $1 billion. The workers certainly haven't had that kind of increase in their wages." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kmart staff. How good is this set to become some
of the highest paid retail workers in the country. Roughly
two thousand, four hundred New Zealand Kmart employees will now
be receiving the living wage of twenty eight dollars ninety
five an hour. The wage applies to any employee with
the union or not who has worked at the company
for more than six months. Rud Hughes is the Worker's
first Union Deputy, rather the workers first Union Deputy Secretary

(00:23):
Secretary of Retail. Rud, you got a linking total mouthful.
You could chop that down. We But anyway, listen, how
hard did you guys have to fight for this result?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Look? It was you know, we spent six days at
the table. It was it was open dialogue and it
was it was how bargaining should take place. You know,
we're giving it you know, to and throwing and also
with both parties willing to concede on issues.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Yeah, but did you get it across the line by
reminding them they do this around the world, why weren't
they doing it here? Is that how it went?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
That's exactly what we did. You know, they were looking
at a CPI increase and we said, look, you know,
if you're going to pay this around the world a
memorandum of understanding with Industrial the Global Union, you know,
you should be paying it in New Zealand. You know,
we have a living wage here. Meet it. And they
came to the party and so what was.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Their justification for doing it around the world but not here.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, they didn't really have a justification for it, which
is why they actually ended up agreeing.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
To it, just getting away with it as long as
they could.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, you know, I mean that's part and part at
of the bargaining process. You know, big companies don't want
to pay much and we want to pay more.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Now, rud Why is it only for employees who've been
there for six months or more?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
So that's the way it's been bargained over the last
since twenty twenty one, and it is something that we
tried to make right right from the get go. But
there is an element of the company wanting to be
sure that these people are going to stay in the
job and have proved themselves. And you know we weren't
completely against that.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Do you think other retailers are going to look at
this and start packing themselves a little bit?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, yeah, I really do. I think that, you know,
this is a this is a gold standard for us
in terms of retail cost co probably pay just slightly more,
but not much. But you know, in terms of other companies,
it's really a long way away. You know, I'll give
you an example. You know, the Farmers, which is a

(02:21):
venerable user an institution. They will pay if if we
get our bargaining agreed to it. And at the moment
it looks like our members are going to aren't going
to ratify that agreement. They would be only they'd be
getting three dollars less than what cam Art workers would
be doing that that's on the top rate. So and

(02:44):
you know, these these guys are going to come in,
they're going to be six months and then they're going
to be on the living wage. It came out, you know,
and it's it's it's not that they can't afford to
do it. We've asked for the you know, the details
of of their finances and they refuse to give them
to us. But you know, the Norman family themselves twenty
seventeen have gone from five hundred million net worth to

(03:04):
over a billion. The workers certainly haven't had that kind
of increase in their wages, and we're just asking for
you know, have a look at what kmar are doing.
You know, kmart have become incredibly profitable despite paying the
living wage.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Right, Thanks very much, Really appreciate your time. Rod Hughes,
Deputy Secretary of Retail. No, I'm not even going to try.
He's with First Union. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
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