FIRST Union Retail Secretary, Maxine  Gay met with the new Chief Executive, Jacqui Coombes, of Bunnings yesterday, primarily to discuss the organisation’s budget process. FIRST Union members bargain in June, but the company sets its budgets for the year in March/April so its essential that the union attempts to influence that process to achieve a fair deal for workers. She also used the meeting to raise  various instances of management pressure to persuade staff to leave the union. The union will be monitoring this kind of behaviour at Bunnings very carefully.

The meeting was constructive and Maxine is confident that the good relations that had been established with the previous CE will be maintained.