Chief people officer says no jobs lost to stocktaking drones as workers protest automation in Auckland and Christchurch
The Warehouse Group has rejected claims by First Union that workers at its distribution centres have been forced to urinate and defecate in the aisles because their bathroom breaks are being monitored by artificial intelligence (AI).
The denial came as several hundred distribution centre workers rallied in Auckland and Christchurch on Thursday, protesting against the automation of their roles and what they described as intrusive monitoring in the workplace, according to Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
In a statement, The Warehouse Group chief people officer Richard Parker said the claims were untrue.
"We are shocked and appalled by the union's claim that our team members are urinating and defecating on the floor at work. This has never happened," Parker told RNZ in the statement.
Parker added that bathroom use was not tracked, which had been made clear to staff.
"We use technology, which is not AI as claimed, that has been commonly used in distribution centres around the world for decades to monitor efficiency through scanning devices. It has nothing to do with bathroom use."
No job losses from drones, says retailer
Parker also disputed suggestions that drones and a new stock-picking robot were costing workers their jobs.
He said no roles had been lost because of the stocktaking drones, and no permanent positions had been made redundant as a result of what he described as "goods-to-person automation."
"In fact, we currently have three additional temp roles in this area. The drones improve stock accuracy and the customer experience, while making our distribution centres safer by removing the need for people to work at height in machinery every night," Parker said.
According to the chief people officer, the retailer's employees are also doing an "excellent job" learning new skills and working with new technology.
"No employer can guarantee what roles will look like in the future, but we will always consult with our team and look to retrain and redeploy people wherever we can in line with our obligations," Parker added.
Union seeks job security protections
First Union organiser Hayley Courtney told RNZ she had been pursuing the bathroom issue for eight months, according to the RNZ report.
"Having supervisors and managers follow people to the toilet and telling them off for a fundamental right is absolutely ludicrous."
She declined to elaborate on RNZ's Midday Report, citing ongoing discussions between the union and the company.
Courtney said the introduction of stocktaking drones had reduced the size of the physical inventory team. Alongside the drones, a large robot is being rolled out at the Auckland warehouse to pack small items for new orders.
"We're not trying to kill the robot or AI by any means; we're just trying to put in some protection and some mechanisms for our workers for the inevitable loss of jobs. Things like redeployment to other areas and helping them find meaningful work within the company."
She described workers' concerns as "genuine and real," noting that some had been with the company for between 15 and 30 years. With unemployment at an 11-year high, Courtney said, these employees would struggle to find work elsewhere.
In a statement on Facebook, Courtney said workers are taking strike action to secure employment security, including contractual assurances that they cannot be readily replaced when new technology is introduced.
"Ratifying this agreement without achieving any protection over future employment would be like signing their own death warrant," she said.
