Welcome

REGIONAL BRANCHES

Click on the map below for the branch closest to you or use the drop down list below.

Select branch Auckland Onekawa Wanganui Palmerston North Christchurch Dunedin Invercargill

National Office

• General Secretary
  Dave W Eastlake
• Office Administrator
  Sherryl Haughie
• Health & Safety Officer
  Amanda Stephens

The New Zealand Meat Workers and Related Trades Union (Inc.) covers up to 23,000 permanent and seasonal workers employed over 75 sites in the New Zealand meat industry. This includes workers in freezing works, tanneries, fertiliser plants, halal operations, small meat processing plants and small goods processors.

The union assists workers with employment contracts, health and safety issues and many other industrial relations and social issues.

Check out the information on this Website or contact a local branch representative to see how we can help you.

UnionAID Kiwi Solidarity

Become a UnionAID Kiwi Solidarity Member, following the CTU decision, supported by your union, to support a campaign to recruit all union leaders and staff as members.

Why? Because:

• UnionAID is a well managed registered charity, accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as an international development organization, with a focus on projects which enable workers in developing countries to build the capacity as unions and help themselves
• 100% of every dollar donated by individual donors goes to funding our projects. Our administration costs are minimal, because of support from volunteers, and are met out of foundation grants from unions
• UnionAID is your own international development agency, following the very successful union movement model in other countries, including APHEDA in Australia
• Our excellent, and very cost effective, projects in South India and on the Thai-Burma border are based on strong union relationships with our project partners

Download the Kiwi Solidarity Membership Form (PDF) here.

Check out the Solidarity newsletters:

• Autumn 2011 (PDF)
• Winter 2011 (PDF)

Dave Eastlake, General Secretary

Dave started work in the meat industry as a slaughterboard labourer at the Alliance Works in Invercargill (now known as Lorneville) in 1961, after a year as a fruit buyer and a spell as a driver he went to Ocean Beach Works as a slaughterman in 1963 where he worked for two seasons followed by a season at Islington in Christchurch.

The next two years were spent on the Manapouri Power Project at West Arm as a driver, during this time Dave was Union delegate for the drivers representing them on the Combined Workers Union for that period.

Then it was back to Ocean Beach followed by a brief stint at Belfast (Christchurch) before starting at Makarewa in 1969. During his 33 years at Makarewa Dave held positions in the Union of Slaughter men's delegate, Shed President and Shed Secretary. During this time Dave was elected as the National Vice President of the New Zealand Meatworkers' and Related Trades Union and then National President. Upon the retirement of (then General Secretary) Tiny Kirk in January 2002 Dave was elected to his present position of General Secretary.