Blueprints S2E2 - Unite the Union Ends Zero Hours Contracts - NZ 2015

In 2016, Aotearoa New Zealand’s parliament passed a law banning the use of Zero Hours Contracts. In the preceding two years, Unite the Union had forced fast-food companies to stop using them in their contracts. The campaign was the culmination of their organising which started in the Supersize My Pay campaign from 2003.

The campaign was an excellent example of having an industrial strategy as a lever for a political strategy. By having a concrete focus - trying to stop fast-food companies from using Zero Hours - they were able to create a national outrage against the practice, which ended with a National government supporting a change to the law. As many successful campaigns are, they also got lucky, because the media latched onto the issue and covered it in detail.

We spoke with;

  • Mike Treen, Unite’s National Director at the time

  • Yvette Seep, Unite delegate and Assistant Manager at Restaurant Brands at the time. Yvette is now a Unite Lead Organiser

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Thanks to Ethan Hunter for his music

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PoliticsKyle ChurchBlueprints