Cotton On restores tea and meal breaks following controversy

Cotton on has reinstated tea and meal breaks at his distribution centre in New Zealand, following controvery around the company's implemention of the new tea break law.

 

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“This morning workers from Cotton On distribution centre in Auckland ratified the first ever collective agreement between Cotton On and FIRST Union," says FIRST Union General Secretary Robert Reid in a media release.

 

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“Cotton On’s Chief Financial officer arrived from Australia for the negotiations and we managed to settle on substantial improvements to wages and working conditions” he adds. “Not only were rest and meal breaks restored, but wages were lifted from levels around the minimum wage to levels approaching the living wage. The new collective agreement also includes a redundancy package and penal rates for overtime work”. 

 

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Reid says workers are "pleased" with the outcoe from the negotiations.