AFFCO denies claims by the Meat Workers Union that it's trying to drive the union out of its processing plants by offering employees individual contracts with better pay and conditions.
The company and the union are at odds over the application of a collective agreement between them and AFFCO's action in signing employees on individual contracts outside the agreement.
The disputes have led to a series of union complaints to the Employment Court and Employment Relations Authority.
In its latest decision, the ERA has issued compliance orders that require AFFCO to provide employees with accurate and balanced information about the various types of employment conditions on offer and to comply with the collective agreement when it re-hires workers after a seasonal lay-off.
The Meat Workers Union says the decision shows the company has not been acting in good faith and has breached both the employment law and the collective agreement.
Secretary Graham Cooke says more cases are in the pipeline and the union may have to take further action to get payment that's over-due to those involved in the cases.
AFFCO maintains it's required by law to offer employees a choice between individual and collective contracts, but denies it is offering employees better pay and conditions to get them onto individual agreements.
Chief executive Hamish Simson says AFFCO also wants the right to test returning workers for drugs as a condition for re-employment.
The ERA says that's outside the terms of the collective agreement and the company will have to negoitiate a change in the agreement if it wants to change that.
Mr Simson says the company will be seek to do that when the current agreement expires at the end of the year.
