Employees report pay issues after Woolworths' adoption of new payroll system
Woolworths New Zealand has denied that it is deliberately underpaying employees following reports of pay errors resulting from the company's implementation of a new payroll system.
"We acknowledge that some of our teams have occasionally had issues with the new system but we strongly reject any suggestion of deliberate conduct on our part. That is simply untrue," a Woolworths spokesperson told Stuff.
The controversy began after Woolworths' recent upgrade of its payroll system for weekly paid team members to eliminate time-consuming paper-based systems.
But First Union said Woolworths employees have complained about 23 issues with the new system, such as:
- Not being paid at all for work done
- Being paid at a lower rate than normal
- Unpaid breaks deducted automatically when [a] break wasn't taken
- Not paid for lieu days
- Non-taxable allowances being taxed
- Roles and rates being changed without consultation
"The company's pay system is in crisis. They're regularly getting huge numbers of workers' pay wrong in every conceivable manner," said Ross Lampert, First Union national organiser for retail food, as quoted by Stuff.
Support offered to affected staff
The Woolworths spokesperson, however, said the company is working closely with team members experiencing issues to help them resolve the problem quickly.
"As with any change, it takes some time to learn a new system and we are supporting our team with information and coaches and we thank them for their patience," the spokesperson said as quoted by Stuff.
"We note that the vast majority of comments so far have been positive, and the union was consulted on the system's implementation."
The issue came after nearly 10,000 union employees at Woolworths previously voted for strike action in August to raise their demands on wages and understaffing.
