Maritime Union of New Zealand: Company bullies workers

The Maritime Union is backing locked out meat workers at the CMP plant in Marton with financial support and a solidarity donation.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood, speaking from the picket line today, says the Union is committed to ongoing support.

"This is a multinational bully using its power to rip out conditions from hard working New Zealanders in a small community. It's unacceptable and they are not going to get away with it."

Mr Fleetwood says he was impressed with the morale and strength of the locked out workers, and the number of other unions represented on the picket line in support.

"First thing this morning we had 15 maritime workers from Wellington come up to join the picket."

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union has made a substantial donation to the locked out workers.

"This is about providing food and paying the bills for these working families. These workers have put themselves on the line and we are not going to let them down."

"We know that with an anti-worker National Government this is what happens. The producers of wealth, the backbone of our nation, are up against it from global multinationals who want to suck money out of our country for their global owners."

Mr Fleetwood says the dispute had gone international and the Maritime Union was updating other maritime and transport unions in its global network on the dispute.

CMP, a subsidiary of global multinational ANZCO Foods, has locked out 111 workers at its plant in Marton, in order to force them to sign off on pay cuts of between 20 - 30% and unacceptable changes to terms and conditions.