The National Distribution Union (NDU) was a national
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
. It was formed in 1986 as the ''Northern Distribution Union'' by the merger of
The Northern Drivers Union,
The Northern Stores and Warehouse Union,
The Auckland and Gisborne Shop Employee Union, and
The Northern Butchers and Grocers Union. A further merging of seven
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasma ...
unions led to the renaming to the National Distribution Union, the union's final name before its 2011 amalgamation into
First Union New Zealand.
The NDU has a notable history as a militant union, thanks to its industrial strategy of strike action and longtime leader Bill (Gordon Harold) Andersen.
The NDU had a membership of more than 20,000 and was affiliated with the
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU or CTU; mi, Te Kauae Kaimahi) is a national trade union centre in New Zealand. The NZCTU represents 360,000 workers, and is the largest democratic organisation in New Zealand.
History
It was form ...
. It was also affiliated to various
international federations through its four sectors; Retail & Entertainment, Transport Energy Stores, Textile Clothing Baking and the Wood Sector.
The union was involved, along with the