Transcript
That's the sound of about a hundred frustrated workers and supporters at a recent meeting about the stalled pay talks with Sistema.
They say after nine months of negotiations for better wages and an end to their 12 hour days the company still hasn't budged.
Maria Latu is a team leader on the factory floor at Sistema - her contract requires full time production workers like herself to work 60 hours a week - and that doesn't include overtime.
Part-time workers are required to work 40 hours.
Ms Latu says she barely sees her children.
"It's not worth it. It's not fair. Every day that they come home from school they always ask 'Mummy are you working?' and then when I say yes then you know you get the 'Awww' you know, from them. It's heart-breaking but then I have to make them understand that I have to go to work."
She's in charge of 20 staff running eight machines and thinks she deserves more than 17 dollars an hour.
Her co-worker Jennifer Talitiga Finau has worked full-time for Sistema for almost 14 years and always just for the minimum wage.
"I think that for most of us it's [the] long hours. I really want to [have] less hours and more pay. Because we need to be in our family."
Maria Latu believes the company penalises workers who are part of the union.
"The thing is they pay the non-members (of the union) different from the union members. So as a team leader, I'm on 17 dollars and the non-union ones are $18.50."
Union Organisers Sunny Seghal and Fala Haulangi say the company takes advantage of migrant workers who wont push back.
"They're from Pacific Islands, they're from Philippines, Indian workers. They have preyed on these vulnerable migrant workers. Some of them they don't even know their rights, you know."
"I think Sistema's doing that because they find it's cheaper to get the migrant workers and because they are too scared to speak up. Or to say anything or to rock the boat. So they just go with whatever Sistema tells them."
Ms Haulangi says the legal minimum in working conditions provided by Sistema is not enough for the work their employees do.
"Can you imagine, those workers are working 12 hours a day, 60 hours a week. They need more than just 5 sick leave days. No night shift allowance. The meal allowance has been there $10 for about 20 years now. So we say we need a change."
Mr Seghal agrees.
"When you work 60 hours a week, there is like a highly likely chance of you getting injured at work as well, or some repetitive injuries. There are many people who are on ACC or who were on ACC. So ACC is a common problem there. One of the things is that we are worried about the health and safety of these workers because of the long hours. They have no other choice because of the minimum wage."
Green party Co-leader Marama Davidson is among several politicians and community leaders who signed a petition to support them.
"It's disgusting and it needs to change. Got my blood boiling and I'm holding a photo of blistered fingers because this is how hard our workers are having to work but not being treated as human. It's not good enough."
She's now calling for a boycott of Sistema products.
Sistema Plastics denies it's preying on vulnerable immigrant workers - and says it wants to secure jobs in New Zealand.
The company's chief executive, Drew Muirhead, says its employees are its highest priority.
He says it was recently named plastics training company of the year for its professional development programmes, focused on topics such as numeracy and literacy for immigrant workers.
He says talks with the union continue to ensure its 700 staff members remain firmly employed in New Zealand.
