By Kajal Nair, RNZ
File photo. Photo: 123rf
McDonald's workers at the franchise's Basin Reserve restaurant in Wellington have staged a strike on Thursday afternoon, launching a campaign for better pay.
The hour-long strike ran from 3pm to 4pm outside the Adelaide Road restaurant and was attended by almost 20 McDonald's employees from all across Wellington.
Unite Union members said they were striking for a new collective agreement after their previous two-year deal expired.
The Union rejected McDonald's latest pay offer, which they said fell below inflation during a cost of living crisis.
"Everyone deserves a living wage especially when you are working for a company as profitable as McDonald's," Unite Union assistant secretary Ben Peterson said at the strike.
Lead delegate Cody Paulsen, who began working at the Basin Reserve branch when he was 15, said wages had barely moved in the five years he had been there.
"We are being continuously underpaid. We've been at negotiation for the last few months but it has come to a standstill because their offer has been significantly under what we expected," he said
Paulsen said the workers were prepared to keep striking until there was meaningful change.
Despite the protest, the restaurant continued to operate with a reduced number of staff.
A McDonald's spokesperson said the business is currently in bargaining for a new collective employment agreement with Unite Union.
"Unite emailed us late last night with an update from their side, and a stated preference to plan for another round of negotiations," they said. "Media reporting this morning indicated of some form of restaurant-specific strikes were planned today. We contacted Unite to clarify the situation and next steps. We then received the strike notice for the Basin Reserve restaurant.
"We respect their right to strike, and will continue to follow the agreed protocols and work through a range of claims in good faith."
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