Workers First Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy sets out how Workers First treats your personal information. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy carefully. It will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us.

The Privacy Policy may change from time to time, so please check back periodically. This page was last updated in May 2023.

Workers First Incorporated is both a New Zealand incorporated society under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and a New Zealand registered union under the Employment Relations Act 2020. Our Head Office address is 120 Church Street, Onehunga, Auckland 1061. The principal activities of Workers First reflect our objectives that appear in our registered rules that are available on the Incorporated Societies Register: https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/.

Workers First respects the privacy and confidentiality of members, potential members and users of web sites and social media sites that Workers First has control over under the Privacy Act 2020 and is committed to being open and transparent about how we manage your personal information. The processing of personal data by Workers First will be in line with the Privacy Act 2020. This Privacy Policy reflects our duties to use information fairly, keep it secure, make sure it is accurate and keep it up to date and operates in tandem with the union’s internal staff Kaupapa, and operating policies, procedures, and processes.

This Privacy Policy covers:

All personal data and information collected by us or submitted to us whether electronically, on paper or verbally. Electronically in this context includes all official websites, applications, and social media sites that Workers First has control over.
Personal data may include any information which directly or indirectly identifies you. This may include your name, address, contact details, date of birth, payroll number, IRD number and bank details. The personal data you supply to us will be held in electronic and/or paper format.
By visiting our websites, My Page, Delegates Page and otherwise providing personal information to us, our members, users, visitors, and registered users are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any of the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the websites or submit any personal information to us.

Data collection statement

This Collection Statement contains details about how Workers First Incorporated may collect, hold, use and disclose your personal data & information.

Workers First gathers and records personal information, including for the following purposes:

To maintain a register of members of Workers First in accordance with the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and the Rules of Workers First Incorporated.
To verify the identity of a member or a user.
To maintain proper financial accounts and records of subscriptions and fees.
To collect data for Paperless Direct Debit applications.
To provide support, assistance, advice, products, services, and/or representation in an individual or collective manner to members.
For organising and campaigning activities.
For education, meeting and event administration.
To communicate with members and non-members.
To conduct ballots or surveys of members.
To contact potential new members.
As part of staff recruitment processes.

If you are applying for a job with Workers First the personal data you provide will only be collected, held, used, and disclosed to consider your potential employment with Workers First.

Workers First will collect personal data directly from you unless:

You have consented to Workers First’s collection of your personal data from third parties – for example, your representative.
When we are legally required to do so.
It is unreasonable or impractical to do so.

Workers First will not sell or rent your personal information to any third party. But we will share limited personal information with trusted third parties that work on our behalf to:

To collect Direct Debit payments from members.
Distribute our email, print, social media, and other communications.
Conduct surveys or ballots.
Provide additional benefits or services to members.
Administer and process FIRST Funeral Insurance.

From time-to-time personal information might be provided to other third parties including:

Employers or their payroll agents to ensure appropriate employment agreement coverage and/or entitlements.
Workers First elected officials and/or special interest group coordinators to facilitate communication.
If the law requires it.

In situations where Workers First is acting on behalf of a member, and disclosure to a third party (other than those mentioned above) is required, your permission to disclose will first be obtained.

In all such circumstances Workers First will only disclose sufficient personal information to allow the third party to undertake their function. Where email addresses have been provided, in order to maintain each member’s privacy, addresses must only be used in the Bcc field of any email that is being sent to multiple recipients.

Third parties may not use any personal information provided by Workers First for any purpose other than that for which it was provided.

Any personal information disclosed to Workers First by a third party will be treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Any breach of the above, whether accidental or not, must be reported to the Privacy Officer at Workers First at privacy@workersfirst.nz.

Storage and security

Workers First will only retain your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which that personal information was collected and to the extent permitted by applicable laws. When Workers First no longer needs to use personal information, Workers First will remove it from its systems and records and/or take steps to anonymize it so you can no longer be identified from it.

Workers First stores the personal information we hold in our membership CRM database system, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, SurveyMonkey and trusted online banking systems. All of these entities have strict privacy policies and secure IT environments.

Our membership CRM database data is stored in secure facilities based in Sydney. We use Microsoft Office 365 for email and other office productivity applications. This means that some personal information we hold may be transferred to, or accessed from, countries other than New Zealand.

Our ICT environment is supported by local (NZ) qualified external providers.

Workers First takes all reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we collect is protected against loss, unauthorised access and disclosure or any other misuse.

Social media

Workers First uses social media platforms, such as but not limited to, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. These social media services have their own privacy policies and may track your use of our sites or content hosted by them.

Workers First suggests users of such channels are always familiar and satisfied with the individual data and privacy policies of those organisations.

Any personal information collected by Workers First via social media will explicitly state the purpose for which it is being collected and held.

Cookies and automatic recall of web data

Our websites use cookies. Cookies are small files which are stored on a user's computer. They are designed to hold a small amount of data specific to a particular client and website and can be accessed either by the web server or the client computer, to enhance the ease of use of the website. You may set your web browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, or to disable cookies altogether if you wish to browse anonymously.

Phone calls

Phone calls to Workers First are not routinely recorded. If a situation arises where an audio recording of a call is necessary, all parties will be made aware of this.

Video calls and conferencing

Workers First uses Zoom or Microsoft Teams for video calls or conferences and these technologies allow for recording to create a record to make it available for later viewing. In all instances where a recording is being made the host will notify participants and the respective systems will require participants to acknowledge their acceptance.

Your rights: updating, requesting or deleting information

You have the right to know what information Workers First holds about you, and to correct it in case of error. These obligations are provided in line with the Privacy Act 2020, but do not supersede our obligations for information retention in line with other applicable New Zealand legislation, such as the Financial Reporting Act

If you have any questions about the information we hold about you or your membership details or any questions relating to this Privacy Policy please contact our privacy officer at privacy@workersfirst.nz.

Updates to this Privacy Policy

Workers First will review this Privacy Policy from time to time and reserves the right to modify it at any time by publishing an updated version on our website and taking any further action as required by law, after which your continued use of the website or your provision of any further personal information will indicate your acknowledgment to the modified terms of this Privacy Policy.