Parts of KFC Blenheim have been closed because of a lack of staff members.

Workers at KFC restaurants have had objects hurled at them by angry customers as they buckle under the pressure of being short-staffed, a union says.

At KFC Blenheim skeleton crews have resorted to closing parts of the restaurant as they deal with angry customers.

Unite Union general secretary Gerard Hehir said a number of the restaurants across the country were struggling with low staff numbers, resulting in the closure of drive-thrus, in-restaurant dining and entire stores in extreme cases.

The union had approached owner Restaurant Brands with their concerns, which included the health and safety implications for staff members having to work long hours under pressure.

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Hehir's opinion was that "people trying to do too much are more likely to make errors and feel pressure to cut corners, which is particularly dangerous around vats of hot oil."

Some union members had reported having things thrown at them by irritated customers, as well as emotional abuse because of a staffing situation that was beyond their control, he said.

A Restaurant Brands spokesperson said they were aware of the staffing issues at KFC Blenheim and were actively recruiting to improve the situation, but did not respond to questions about other stores around the country.

"Labour shortages are not unique to Restaurant Brands, with many businesses across the country experiencing similar staffing issues," the spokesperson said.

But the union and a former KFC employee both said it has become difficult to get a job at the fast food chain.

Palmerston North woman Tamsen Donaldson, who worked for the chain for three years before leaving in 2015, said the staffing situation was "just not fair".

"These are the people that are making Restaurant Brands their money, so they should be taking some responsibility."

Donaldson, who worked at the chain in Nelson, said when she applied the process was straightforward. She filled out an application form, and six months later was granted an interview for the job.

But now Restaurant Brands recruited using an online portal called servingupthefuture.co.nz, where applicants entered their details and left a voice recording saying why they wanted to work at KFC, before applicants were filtered for managers to interview, she said.

"I tell all my friends to apply for jobs at KFC because I know there are no workers, but none of them have gotten jobs. It's just so hard to get a job there."

A Fijian woman who moved to Blenheim said she applied for a job at the restaurant more than a month ago, but had not heard back from the company.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said she had a permit to work in New Zealand and prior hospitality experience so she was surprised not to have been contacted, especially given the staffing situation.

"I've done a couple other job applications and most of the time you get a reply via email or someone calls you back, but for KFC it was just ringing that voicemail, and that was it."

Unite Union, which had about 1700 members working at KFC restaurants, monitored the number of new recruits through a process of store visits and talking to their members.

Hehir said they first noticed the recruitment of new applicants had slowed down in October 2015.

Initially the union was not concerned about the situation, as they thought it was the result of existing workers being offered more hours after the successful negotiation of a guaranteed minimum hours agreement with Restaurant Brands last July.

But Hehir said the reduced recruitment numbers went "way beyond this" and had resulted in stores being staffed by a bare minimum of workers.

"They don't have to take everyone who applies for a job, but what we're hearing is people who wouldn't have had an issue getting a job previously are being told that they don't pass a pre-employment test," he said.

The Restaurant Brands spokesperson said there were a number of reasons why someone may not be suitable for a role at KFC, but did not respond to questions about whether the recruitment process had changed, and why they would turn people away if there was a shortage of staff.

"Our employees are at the heart of our business and are critical to its success," they said.

Unite Union had noticed an increase in the number of new recruits over the last month, which was a good thing but it would still take time before workers were in the stores, Hehir said.

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