‘Boycott Tussock!’: Staff continue to pressure Massey for a pay rise

During the strike on September 26th, flyers were handed out to students and staff in Wellington calling them to stop spending at Tussock Cafe.  

But students say boycotting Tussock is tricky when food options are so limited.  

The flyer read, “If Massey won’t pay, neither will we! Join the boycott against university-run cafés until we get our fair share.”  

The Tertiary Education Union is asking for a 6% pay raise to match inflation, while the university is offering 2%.  

The staff member handing out the flyers--who wished to remain anonymous--told Massive, “Massey staff such as myself are frustrated. Frustrated at our wages. Our working conditions.”  

Three other universities also striked for better pay, however, Massey was the only one to suspend pay for those striking.  

The anonymous staff member was “frustrated at the fact that our university is the only one to dock pay due to our strike action.”  

“A group of union members are now calling for students and staff to boycott university-owned cafés like Tussock until negotiations are settled. If you don’t pay us, why should we pay you?”  

However, a Massey spokesperson was disappointed by the boycott.  

“We are disappointed to see staff and students encouraged to boycott Tussock – the very team dedicated to delivering their best to the Pukeahu Massey community”.  

The spokesperson went on to explain that “Tussock is an integral part of our Wellington campus community” and that it’s managed by a dedicated commercial services team that aims to offer a quality experience.  

Tussock management was approached for a kōrero about the proposed boycott, but they did not wish to engage with Massive.   

Despite the flyers still tacked around campus, the infamous Tussock lunch-hour rush is yet to show signs of dwindling.  

Third-year student Jordanna Whale thought the boycott only lasted one day.  

Despite wanting to get involved in the boycott, she believed it would be “a little difficult considering there aren’t any other kai options for us on campus”.  

“It would make such a difference if there were more food spaces or options for students to choose from to help get them through their study days”.  

Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, also assumed the Tussock boycott was an isolated event.   

The student felt there weren’t enough food options on campus, and that heading off campus was limited as well.  

Massive asked Massey why the roughly 2500 students and 500 staff on the Pukeahu campus have such little choice when it comes to kai.  

A Massey spokesperson said the recent ‘Campus Reimagining Workshop’ in Wellington provided feedback from staff and students on how to reignite the energy around campus – including discussions on improving the current food options available.  

“The collation of feedback is now underway and will be incorporated into plans to ensure our campus is a vibrant and exciting place to study and work”.