Roadstar redundancies "disgrace"

16 October, 2009

Ten EPMU members have been laid off by NZ Post subsidiary Roadstar Ltd, in a process described by EPMU organiser John Kerr as a "disgrace".

The redundancies are a result of Roadstar's decision to shut its Christchurch branch.

John Kerr says the work is still there, it's just being contracted out to another company, McDowell's Transport Ltd.

"While we acknowledge the company is under some financial stress they're still making a decent profit and we can see no compelling reason why these redundancies had to happen.

"We've asked for additional support by way of training and careers advice as per the deal we did with NZ Post to the value of $800, but were refused.

"The GM, Campbell McNee, confirmed in person in front of the meeting at which he announced the closure that Roadstar would not be paying a dollar above its obligations to these guys."

EPMU member Megan Jones is five months pregnant and worked at Roadstar with her partner Barry. Both were laid off on Monday.

"We were called into a meeting at 4.30 on Monday and told not to come back the next day," says Megan. "I had ten to fifteen minutes to clear out my desk and that was it. I was just in tears, the whole thing was so humiliating."

For Megan the pregnancy makes the layoff that much harder.

"For a start I lose my paid parental leave worth $6000. No one's going to hire a woman who's five months pregnant and in any case I won't be able to be there long enough to qualify.

"It wouldn't have been so hard if the company had just told us the truth from the start. You'd think we'd be the first to know, but we weren't, we were just strung along until the last minute.

"We've been paid our union redundancy as is our right under the collective agreement, but we're not looking forward to trying to get by on $317 a week from WINZ."

The union is currently considering its options