MARION VAN DIJK/STUFF

Spark, Max Fashions, Life Pharmacy, Jeans West, Hannahs, and JB Hi-Fi have allegedly had employees complaining about work without pay.

A union representing retail workers has received fresh complaints against some of the country's biggest retailers.

It brings the total number of complaints to nearly 2000, after the Smiths City Employment Court decision earlier this month.

In May it was revealed the court had ordered the national retailer to backpay staff on or near the minimum wage for six years' worth of unpaid morning meetings.

First Union released a second list of companies alleged to require staff to work unpaid. It included Max Fashions, Life Pharmacy, Jeans West, Hannahs, Spark, and JB Hi-Fi. The six organisations have been contacted by Stuff.

Retail, finance and commerce secretary Tali Williams said employees in the retail sector were already on low wages and could not afford to work for free.

READ MORE:
* Smiths City case triggers hundreds of complaints on unpaid work
* Smiths City ordered to pay workers over unpaid morning meetings
* Smiths City's unpaid meetings puts businesses on notice

"Companies need to consider the wellbeing of their employees and their obligations to the law. They will be publicly shamed if they don't make fixing this a priority," Williams said.

The union said staff alleged their employers had been expecting, and in some instances verbally asking or texting employees, to either stay back and work late for tasks such as cashing up or tidying up shop, or for work-related meetings for the purposes of customer and sales training. 

Some complaints are also in reference to an expectation or request for staff to come into work early to set-up shop.

MAARTEN HOLL/STUFF

First Retail's Chris Wilkinson says the allegations against retailers are "disappointing".

Spark spokeswoman Ellie Cross said in the past six months it had received two complaints on this topic, both which were laid since the Smith City ruling.

"We take complaints like these very seriously, so undertook a full and thorough investigation. In both of these cases, we concluded that neither of the staff in question had been underpaid," Cross said.

She said, after the Smith City case, all its staff had been briefed on Spark policies and that it had designed its working hour and pay arrangements to avoid anyone being in a situation of doing any prep work, handover work, or after-shift work without pay.

"All Spark store staff are paid a salary rather than an hourly rate to avoid these kinds of issues. Fulltime hours for store staff are designed to cover our longest store opening hours, including a morning meeting before the store opens and any activities that are required after the store closes," Cross said.

First Retail's Chris Wilkinson said the raft of complaints in recent weeks showed how widespread the problem of working without pay was.

"The younger generation are more empowered. This is legacy behaviour and we've seen previous generations rationalise working overtime. But this is no longer appropriate," Wilkinson said.

Earlier this month Briscoes, Whitcoulls, Harvey Norman, Rebel Sport, The Warehouse, Countdown, Cotton On, Noel Leeming, Farmers, Kmart, and Warehouse Stationery were the subject of complaints. 

Labour Inspectorate national manager Stu Lumsden businesses would need to backpay staff if they failed to comply with the Minimum Wage Act.

"This is simply about these businesses complying with their obligations – as the vast majority of New Zealand businesses do – and paying their staff at least the minimum wage for every hour worked."

 - Stuff