Joining FIRST Union has led to big improvements in the pay packets of workers at Post Haste in Wellington.

Union delegate Tenii Tararo said that when he first started with the company last year there was no collective agreement and many workers had been stuck on low wages for a long time.

"We knew we needed support to get pay rises and make sure we were looked after properly so we joined the union," he said.

After joining the union the workers got a surprise.

"We found out that workers under the same umbrella of Post Haste in Auckland were earning a lot more than we were, yet they were doing the same work as us."

The union has now negotiated a settlement with the company where the workers will be covered by the conditions of the Auckland Collective Employment Agreement but with seperate pay rates.

Tenii said although the workers had not been able to achieve the night allowance they wanted he is pleased with the progress made with the new pay rate.

He gives the example of one staff member who has been employed by the company for about nine years on the minimum wage and has gone straight to $14.70 an hour to demonstrate the improvement in pay.

"We all think it was an awesome move to join the union," he said.