Australian-owned hardware chain Bunnings is defending the way it organises rosters for 3700 staff in New Zealand in the face of continuing industrial action.
More than 100 Bunnings workers went on strike at seven stores on Friday after 400 workers did so on Wednesday.
There have also been protests by workers at Bunnings stores, and in one incident workers chained themselves to trolleys and the store briefly closed.
The workers are protesting rostering changes.
The proposed contract changes provide no set days of work, which staff say makes it difficult to plan for things such as childcare, says First Union spokesperson Morgan Godfery.
Currently, rosters can only be changed with both the manager and employee's agreement.
Bunnings says the vast majority of its emplyees had chosen to accept, on an individual basis, the proposal that was put forward.
It was unfortunate a very small number of staff felt the need to take action whilst talks continued with First Union, the company said in a statement on Friday.
"Put simply, we do not and will not flagrantly chop and change team member hours or rosters."
The company said it had put forward a proposal available equally to all staff, whether they chose to have an individual employment agreement or were part of the collective agreement, in which they are represented by First Union.
"Bunnings is wholeheartedly committed to supporting the needs of our team and providing a healthy work/life balance - we have no intention of making wholesale changes to individual team member rosters," the company statement said.
It said any change to a roster would be done in full consultation with the staff member with at least four weeks advance notice.
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