From Hounds to Foxes

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 31 comments
Categories: Unions, wages - Tags:

Back in August I contributed a post entitled ‘First they came‘.

The post discussed how, in education, teachers got bashed, then Principal’s, then Boards. The post cautioned that as we watched and did nothing we edged closer to being bashed ourselves.

Now I see that Ministry of Education staff are to take industrial action regarding their pay and conditions. From Hounds to Foxes they go.

As you sit there reading this, think about how industrial action is growing across the country – Secondary teachers, Junior Doctors, Radiographers, State Servants, Actors. There is a lot more to come – do you want to wait for them to come for you?

fabregas4

31 comments on “From Hounds to Foxes ”

  1. ianmac 1

    Fabregas4: I think that many in the Min of Ed are fair and reasonable people who are more likely to have to follow Ministerial directives. They would have to be pretty cheesed off to be willing to take industrial action. And of course there are even more cuts coming for the MOE so the must be really, really cheesed off. I think that it takes a lot of provocation for the Education Sector to get angry enough to action.

  2. grumpy 2

    So, after 9 years of Labour it takes just 2 from National for everything to get so unbearable that every sector needs to go on strike.

    Nothing to do with Labour getting stacked with Union selections is it? The way the public see it, this sudden outbreak of industrial action won’t do Labour much good.

    • The Voice of Reason 2.1

      It’s the public taking the action, grumpy.

    • Colonial Viper 2.2

      The way the public see it, this sudden outbreak of industrial action won’t do Labour much good.

      Its only the start my friend, NZ’ers are smart enough to realise that their friends and family members aren’t spending their Saturdays on protest marches for the hell of it.

      So, after 9 years of Labour it takes just 2 from National for everything to get so unbearable that every sector needs to go on strike.

      Well, we never said that National was inefficient with the antiworker agenda it wants to get done.

      • grumpy 2.2.1

        So, to combine the obvious from Colonial Viper and TVOR, there are public who are going to go on strike who don’t know it yet?

    • Draco T Bastard 2.3

      Nothing to do with Labour getting stacked with Union selections is it?

      Nope but it has everything to do with Nationals wish to lower wages.

    • bbfloyd 2.4

      G. you must go through a lot of kleenex, considering the amount of frothing at the mouth you do. hate on this grand scale is really harmful to yourself you know..

      • luva 2.4.1

        You are honestly accusing G of expressing hate and frothing at the mouth. Open your eyes Champ. That is what this site is for.

        When was the last time anything positive was ever written on this site. This is where we come to express our unhinged hatred of absolutley anything and everything the government does. It is the home of the NZ SUX campaign.

        Other than Whaleoil there isn’t a more depressingly negative place on the internet. New Zealand is seriously fucked and the sky is all but upon us if you believe what is written here.

        Thats why we come here.

  3. Mac1 3

    You must be a good shot, grumpy, when you go hunting for foxes because that’s a pretty long bow you’ve drawn there.

    A simpler argument might be that working people can see which way this government is going with wages and conditions, where the civil service might end up, where a privatisation agenda and an ideology of the withering of state provided services are leading us.

    A $5 million example is the contracting of services by Treasury.

    Or, the contraction of the number of state servants currently down by a figure of one or two thousand, from memory, under NACT.

    But then, a good conspiracy theory about Unions and the Labour party is always a runner for the Right wing hounds. Tally ho!

    • grumpy 3.1

      Can’t agree it’s a conspiracy when virtually all Labour positions, from President to candidates seem to be drawn from unionists.

      President of the EPMU/Labour Party is not too hard a link for the public to make, especially if they suffer disruption for what are seen as purely political ends.

      • Bunji 3.1.1

        Would those be the ‘purely political ends’ of making sure they have enough money to live? Wanting their pay to keep up with the large dollop of inflation that the government has ladled out?

        As TVOR says – it’s the public taking the action. Teachers, doctors, civil servants – they make up a large chunk of society. That’s before you add their families and friends in, who are likely to support them.

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.2

        Sorry mate in addition to the union affiliates there are a lot of very strong sector groups in Labour from Rainbow to Asian to Womens. Its what is called ‘inclusive’.

        especially if they suffer disruption for what are seen as purely political ends.

        Actually, workers in general would like to help their organisations succeed as that promotes job security, they just don’t want to be ****’ed over by bad management and National on the way.

        PS do the NATs really believe that there are more senior managers and business owners in this country than there are workers and workers’ families? Amazing.

        • grumpy 3.1.2.1

          Well, look at it this way, more support the Govt than support the teachers. And, much more support Peter Jackson than the Aussie union.

          Next????

      • Pascal's bookie 3.1.3

        “Can’t agree it’s a conspiracy when virtually all Labour positions, from President to candidates seem to be drawn from unionists.”

        In a Labour party you say? Well fuck then. The crafty little bastards.

        • grumpy 3.1.3.1

          And when in electorates like Mana, the local choice is ignored in favour of the union’s choice – you still expect these guys to go on strike for a party that has been hijacked away from the locals?

        • Craig Glen Eden 3.1.3.2

          Classic Pb lol.

  4. Dan 4

    We all celebrate Peter Jackson’s skills and vision. We have all basked in the reflected success of WETA as a genuine NZ success story. The tragedy would be that the only reason it came to NZ was the relatively low wages of the crew and extras rather than the creative skills of New Zealanders. There has been at least one study of the precariousness of employment in the NZ film industry. If Peter Jackson, instead of responding so emotively, listened to the union view, there might be a happy middle ground. The NACT party’s intervention is predictably unhelpful as it pursues its anti-union agenda.

    • grumpy 4.1

      Good common sense BUT it works both ways. Jackson, threatened with a boycott by an Aussie union and then being denied a chance to speak to the actors probably feels he is wasting his time by now.

  5. rich 5

    What’s needed is to get fuel truck drivers, bank network ops and electricity supply workers out.

    That’d sort the bastards.

    (once people can’t get fuel, money or power it becomes a bit hard to get to work even if they want to)

    • grumpy 5.1

      Don’t forget the cops.

      • Blighty 5.1.1

        The police aren’t allowed to strike by law.

        • Dan 5.1.1.1

          Yes, but they get 2% pay increase each year automatically for not striking. Plus the the $1000 they got in July (ie average 1.8%), plus 2% automatic next year and the 1.3%, means close to 7% over two years.

          Funny how teachers get called greedy asking for 4% over the same period! The NACTS hide the increases of preferred groups.

  6. grumpy 6

    Really????? A bit like barmen then?

  7. Teachers, doctors, radiographers, civil servants as well as food and hospitality workers, shop assistants, office workers etc. etc.have all gone on strike at one time or another during NAT/ACT’s period of power.

    More people are going to be angry because they were promised less tax, so the government ups GST and workers right of defence has been eroded by the 90 day law.Plus being expected to find jobs that don’t exist.

    Is it any suprise that people are getting angry? the problem is they are getting angry at different times when the strikes should be part of a well co-ordinated, nation wide one day strike.

    A one day strike would be a powerfull statement to the Government and employers, that will bring them to the realization that employees rights are not to trampled on.

    Paris was almost paralized because Sarcosy wanted to increase the retirement age to 62!!!!!!!

    Why don’t we do the same?

  8. Fabregas4 8

    It is illegal in New Zealand to strike in support of employees covered by a different collective agreement. I know, it is hard to believe that this is true in our democratic country but it is.

  9. ak 9

    Ah geeze Louise.

    Robin Malcolm and Jennifer Ward-Leland just came out in support of unions on national TV. In a nice and reasonable way.

    And Auckland’s Brown.

    And Brown is rampant.

    And China’s in charge.

    Face it.

    You’re fucked.

    But every sympathy to you poor, inbred handbrakes on humanity’s inevitable progression to universal emancipation. Let’s never forget your contribution to history: to all you hapless idiots and foils of our mokopunas’ fables, thanks for the caricatures.

  10. Carol 10

    Drakula, there’s a big union day of action, including strikes, planned for 20th October:
    http://www.3news.co.nz/Union-set-for-country-wide-fight-for-workers/tabid/419/articleID/178879/Default.aspx

    A union storm is set to descend on the Government, with the Council of Trade Unions predicting a country-wide fight for better conditions for workers.

    The union says plans to restrict union access to workplaces is a “direct attack on the democratic rights of workers”.

    President Helen Kelly says she’s expecting many disgruntled workers to take part in the national day of action set down for October 20 – in 18 cities and towns – and the CTU won’t back down until the Government takes notice.

  11. Bruce 11

    I think whenever National get into power industrial action tends to go up. Probably as a result of them doing their best to suppress wages and replace them with tax “cuts”. Meanwhile those costs of living just keep on going up.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      This time its a tad more than just suppressing wages, they are having a serious go with things like right to fire – no explanation, no dur process, rest breaks – who needs ‘m, certainly not workers, and unions? F*** off, not on our land or our time. Even the VSM to break apart student associations.

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