Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Truck drivers to lose jobs

Updated at 1:45 pm on 21 December 2012

Fifty Auckland truck drivers who work for supermarket chain Foodstuffs are losing their jobs.

The First Union, which represents most of the workers, says the drivers were told by Foodstuffs subsidiary Route and Retail in September that they would be moving to an owner-driver model over the next few months.

The drivers would go from being paid wages to buying their own truck and contracting out services.

First Union secretary Robert Reid says the drivers can't afford to pay for the truck and its running costs when the hourly rate is so low.

He says the drivers have opted for redundancy instead.

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