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A new branch of the fast-food giant Wendy’s has opened on Anderson’s Bay Road, Dunedin, making it the southernmost Wendy’s in the world. The new location was officially opened on Monday 9 March 2015, bringing 54 new jobs to the area.

“We’ve been wanting a presence here for a long time, but the process has taken a bit longer than expected. Finding the right location has been key,” said Wendy’s CEO Danielle Lendich in a press release. “There are definitely a lot of Wendy’s lovers in the South. We’ve had people knocking on the doors each day these past few weeks with training going on in store.”

Although the employment opportunities are positive for the local economy, Unite Union and Union Otago planned a protest at the opening of the new store to support the campaign against “zero hour contracts”. Unite Union is a campaigning union that represents 8,000 people nationally, with 700–800 of those based in the South Island.

A press release from Unite Union said zero hour contracts are where there are no guaranteed hours of work, leaving workers in a “constant state of instability, and [the contract] is open to manipulation by employers.”

According to Unite Union Organiser Ben Petersen, “almost all of those employed in fast-food restaurants in New Zealand are employed on zero hero contracts.” This includes Burger King, McDonald’s and Domino’s.

“Wendy’s have used these contracts to refuse workers a day in lieu when they work a public holiday by restoring workers into varied hours to avoid paying legally mandated holidays.” Not all Wendy’s stores have had action against them for using zero hour contracts, however.

As an employee you may be employed on a part-time or even full-time basis, but there is “nothing contractual, so that can change in the first few weeks,” said Petersen. The contracts essentially allow flexibility to companies for regular staffing options, while leaving the staff themselves wondering when their next shift will be. Companies can be overstaffed and, as they reduce costs and save money, their employees are not getting paid while they wait for work.

“Wendy’s needs to provide security to its workers. Wendy’s staff are obliged to turn up to work each week and do their job. It’s time the company was made to feel some obligations towards its workers and provide decent, secure employment. Zero hour contracts and using them to rip off public holidays has to stop,” said Petersen.

In an attempt to convince the restaurant to reconsider its contractual agreements, the union organised a strike action for Saturday 14 March. At the time of Critic going to print, the Facebook event for the protest had 340 people invited, but only 32 attending.

According to Petersen, there “has been progress on several issues after negotiation began” between the union and fast-food restaurants. They include increasing staff breaks from ten to fifteen minutes and providing staff with tea or coffee while on those breaks. These changes may seem innocuous to some, but they are issues the staff were “quite upset about.”

Negotiations between Wendy’s and Unite continue as there is very little progress on zero hour contracts, which the union sees as the main issue facing the staff members. Petersen said Unite is “pushing on until we can get something a little more concrete for our members.”

Wendy’s CEO Danielle Lendich responded to the claim the company had been using the controversial contracts by stating: “We do not have a zero hour contract and this has been confirmed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Mediation Services. I had never heard of a zero hour contract until about a month ago. It makes no sense to have zero hour contracts.” She continued, stating, “[the fast-food] industry is about having quick, accurate service, to be able to do this employees need to work.”

Unite has said it is open to looking towards other avenues if these talks fail to achieve the desired results. It said it may appeal for legislative change if the negotiations break down, with some political parties currently supporting the abolition of zero hour contracts.

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