To be attributed to Spencer Sonn, Woolworths New Zealand Managing Director

6 August 2024: We are proud to employ over 16,000 New Zealanders in our stores and we’ve brought a strong offer to the table in our discussions with FIRST Union.

We know we pay near the top of the market already and we offer a range of benefits to our team. We’re also investing over $45 million in making our stores safer for our team and customers.

We are disappointed that First Union has tabled claims on behalf of its members totalling nearly $1 billion over 1 year - which we believe is unsustainable. Our offer includes a 6.6% increase for our store team on average over two years, and we have a genuine focus on helping our team have long and meaningful careers with us.

In the current economic environment we have to balance increasing costs and providing value for customers, but making sure our team earns more is also a key priority for us.

We are continuing to engage with First Union in good faith and look forward to the Union responding to our offer.