14 Apr 2015

Burger King shuns zero hours contracts

9:13 pm on 14 April 2015

The fast food chain Burger King has opted to scrap its zero-hours contracts.

It joins Restaurant Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr and Starbucks, all of which have agreed to end zero-hour contracts by July.

Zero hour contracts, where workers have to be available for work but have no hours guaranteed, are common in the fast food industry.

Unite Union said the Burger King offer was put on the table late this afternoon, and they eagerly accepted it.

Union spokesperson Mike Treen said McDonalds had still not budged despite another round of negotiations this morning. But he predicted that its current position could not last.

"McDonald's will change their position - New Zealand society, the community, media - everybody has said that these contracts are unacceptable. Even the government is moving to say that they're unacceptable."

Strike action is set to go ahead tomorrow, outside McDonald's outlets in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and central Christchurch.

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