FIRST Union members at Cardinal Logistics, one of New Zealand’s largest logistics providers, are withdrawing their labour and picketing outside the Auckland facility on Tuesday.

Members have been attempting to negotiate fair wages with the company for over one and a half years and have voted for strike action after enduring some of "the worst behaviour imaginable" from a major New Zealand logistics company, according to FIRST Union. 

Olly Paegotau, FIRST Union organiser, said union members at Cardinal Logistics were "beyond frustrated" after attempting to negotiate with the company since March 2023, when their last agreement expired. 

He said members had reported several breaches of good faith during bargaining by the company, including exerting undue influence in an attempt to convince workers to leave the union and now, a total refusal to resume bargaining despite attending mediation with the union.

"Cardinal are completely out of line and tried to force union members onto individual employment agreements with inferior terms, misleading them about their rights and trying some outrageous and illegal union-busting tactics," said Mr Paegotau. 

"They’ve stormed away from the negotiating table at mediated bargaining because they didn’t get what they wanted and are now doing everything they can to force members out of the union and to accept a deal with much worse conditions."

"But they’ve forgotten that their business doesn’t run without workers, and we’re going to remind them why the people who give their all to the company deserve a fair deal and a fair negotiating process free from intimidation and manipulation."

Mr Paegotau said that Cardinal Logistics’ "standover tactics" were among the worst he’d seen in his 8 years of union organising and was hopeful that shining a light on the business’s poor practices would force change in the workplace.