Sunday, July 14, 2019

Solidarity with H&M workers in New Zealand who demand increase in salaries

H&M multinational's store in Auckland.
New Zealand's FIRST Union members who work at one of Auckland's international retail giants H&M have been suspended this morning for wearing a sticker of protest at work.

According to the report of tvnz.co.nzThe stickers come accompanied with highlight make up and one example of a sticker reads 'my wages need a glow up'. The somewhat silent protest comes shortly after another act of unity where H&M workers wore black to express their feelings towards their pay.

"The intension here was a light hearted encouragement to H&M to bridge the gap between the current offer and the living wage," Union spokesperson Sarah Thompson said in a statement.

"Paying living wages is one of H&M's corporate goals and now they are suspending their workers because they are asking for a living wage." Union members took the decision to wear the stickers in a show of support for a living wage and to encourage H&M to bridge the gap between the current offer and a living wage.

In a statement, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) representing 97 million workers in the 5 continents, strongly condemns the anti-labour practices and the low wages that the H&M multinational pay to its workers all over the world.

The WFTU statement writes: "More than 100 workers of the H&M stores at several Auckland branches are protesting against the low wages that are not enough for the covering of even the basic contemporary needs of the workers and are in complete mismatch both with the multiple duties and the countless profits which are created by the workers sweat in all levels of the production line.

The international class-oriented trade union movement calls the workers to continue and strengthen their struggles, given that their working-situation can only change through the decisive, conscious and class-oriented struggles of the trade union movement. The WFTU assures them that will always support with all its forces the struggling workers all over the world for dignified work with rights."