What can a Hospo FPA achieve?

• minimum wage rates (including overtime rates, penalty rates and when they apply)
• increases to those rates during the agreement (up to 5 years)
• standard hours for paid work
• training and development
• how much leave is available

The bargaining parties will also have to discuss health and safety requirements, flexible working arrangements and redundancy, but both sides can put forward proposals on other important issues as well – this is your opportunity to really improve your industry. Unite has been improving the working lives of hospo union members for twenty years and we want to make sure all hospo workers get those benefits:

• Secure hours: Many hospo employers use “zero hour” contracts in all but name – “guaranteeing” 3 or 4 hours to employees who regularly work 20-40 hours. There can still be flexibility, but it has to be a two way street.
• Decent Rosters: Also very common (and illegal) is to have shifts with no end times specified, but no availability allowance paid. Workers should know when their shift will end and be able to leave then if they wish. Chronic understaffing also needs to be fixed; no-one should be forced to do two jobs.
• Decent Access to Paid Leave: That means annual, public holiday, sick, parental, bereavement, ACC and domestic violence leave. It’s all in the law, but many hospo workers get short-changed when it comes to taking and getting paid for leave.
• Regular Rest Breaks: Break lengths and timing are specified in law but many hospo workers don’t get them. Unpredictable demand does means there needs to be some flexibility – but the problem is persistent understaffing, not unexpected demand. This goes back many years – way beyond the recent staffing shortages. Most employers do not even record paid breaks.
• Proper Bullying and Sexual Harassment processes. This is a major issue, especially as the perpetrators are often managers or business owners. Again, having such processes is a legal requirement, but is simply non-existent for many hospo workers in reality.
• Proper Health and Safety reporting and resolution processes. Again required by law, but too often issues and complaints are not recorded and not dealt with as needed.

All hospo workers, union and non-union, can have a say in what proposals are put forward and approve the final agreement. No decision will be made without your input, and the input of hospo workers across the country.
You can have ongoing opportunities for you to share your information, expertise and views about what needs to be improved. Of course the best way to make sure that what is agreed actually gets implemented at your workplace is to be in a union.

You can start right now. Click here to tell us about issues at your work and what you want to see improved.

Your employer may provide some of your contact details to us in the next 4-6 weeks, but if you want to find out more now sign up here. You can also contact Unite Union by emailing workers@hospofpa.nz or freephone 0800 2UNITE (0800 286 483).

If you have a bad experience that shows why change is needed then click here to share it with us – you can write about it or just record a short video.