Cake stall for redundant LWR workers

Lane Walker Rudkin has been placed in receivership - a situation created by inept management and the short sighted and self serving actions of Westpac bank.

Tomorrow, outside Westpac House on Willis Street (Wellington), the National Distibution Union is holding a cake stall to support the redundant workers. If you are out for lunch between 12pm and 1pm a cake or a donation will be greatly appreciated.

Stalls in other centres are being cooked as we speak. If you are on facebook please join Bake a Cake for LWR workers for updates.

Last week the receivers announced 186 jobs will go. There is no guarantee the workers will see any of the holiday or redundancy pay. This is capped under the receivership laws at $16,420, and long serving employees face losing most of the money they are owed. As Westpac instigated the receivership they will have priority as a creditor.

As Laila Harre explains
"This is a dreadful situation and the workers and their union are very angry. How the bank allowed LWR to continue to trade and build up so much debt for so long is beyond belief. Yet today, that same bank, Westpac, washes its hands of its responsibility to the workers and refuses to even meet with the NDU and Council of Trade Unions to discuss the situation.

"We need both the Government and Westpac to come up with a mechanism that will guarantee the holiday and redundancy pay owed to the workers. And the Government also needs to come to the party to fund a worker-led redundancy support service"

Great to see some good blog support already for Bake a Cake from the Hand Mirror and The Standard.