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The
one-hour strike planned for Oct. 18 is set to disrupt the tech
company's store operations in the country and add to the
pressure it is facing elsewhere on industrial relations.
The planned strike will involve about 150 of Apple's 4,000
Australian employees who are represented by the Retail and Fast
Food Workers Union (RAFFWU), restricting most customer services
in at least three of the company's 22 stores in the country, the
union said.
The strike would be the first for Apple in Australia, according
to the RAFFWU, and widens the company's global exposure to
collective bargaining just as soaring cost-of-living pressures
prompt U.S. employees of Apple and other large firms like
Amazon.com Inc to unionise.
In Australia, Apple set off a round of union talks by proposing
in August a new set of locked-in wage rises and conditions. The
RAFFWU and two other unions went to an industrial arbiter in
September seeking more time to negotiate, which was granted, the
unions and Apple have said.
"We've come to the end of that today and we still aren't
anywhere near a satisfactory agreement, so last night members
unanimously endorsed that path," RAFFWU federal secretary Josh
Cullinan told Reuters by phone.
"When large groups of workers walk off, that will have an
impact."
RAFFWU-represented workers in most Australian Apple stores would
strike but the impact would be strongest in outlets with more
representation, Cullinan said.
The three unions say they want Apple to guarantee wage increases
that reflect inflation - which is tracking around 7% in
Australia, double the central bank's target range - and weekends
of two consecutive days rather than being split.
Apple says its minimum pay rates are 17% above the industry
minimum and that full-time workers get guaranteed weekends.
"We are committed to providing the best possible experience (for
our employees), including very strong compensation and benefits,
annual stock grants and comprehensive leave policies, all of
which exceed Australian industry standards," an Apple
spokesperson said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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