Since Talley's vicious lockout of 1,000 unionized workers [1] at 6 of the company's 8 Affco meat plants in the North Island of New Zealand, all 8 plants have been hit by 24- and 48-hour strikes each week as union members unaffected by the lockout have taken action in support of their locked out brothers and sisters. Further strikes are taking place on March 22-23 and March 26.
Picket line at the Feilding plant, March 22
Source: Locked out workers support group [2] on Facebook
This is despite a threat from Talley's that they will dock Easter pay from union members who go on strike or respect work bans between now and Easter Monday (April 9).
One thousand workers and their families are struggling into the fourth week of the lockout Talley's imposed as a coercive measure to get workers to leave their union and sign individual contracts. Talley's is literally trying to starve them into submission, but they are standing firm and standing up for their union with the support of their families and their communities.
Union delegates representing 20,000 meat workers across New Zealand, including 70 from Affco's major competitors, voted unanimously at National Conference on March 21 to financially support the locked out workers.
Tell Talley's to end the AFFCO lockout now! [3]