Comments on: Softly, softly treatment for militant employers http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/ The New Zealand labour movement used to have its own newspaper. A group of us thought that now might be a good time for it to be digitally reborn: The Standard v2.0 - now in a new format The Standard v3.0 Mon, 28 May 2012 14:46:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rob Carr http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172496 Rob Carr Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:13:58 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172496 Hopefully we can one day see the end to all lockouts. They are a vastly unfair way of dealing with workers and should not be allowed to happen let alone fall under the radar of the media. I have heard of quite a few myself but I am sure there are even more that slipped by... Hopefully we can one day see the end to all lockouts. They are a vastly unfair way of dealing with workers and should not be allowed to happen let alone fall under the radar of the media. I have heard of quite a few myself but I am sure there are even more that slipped by…

]]> By: prism http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172474 prism Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:26:50 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172474 This contracting out - making the worker assume a business-management role is a real stinker. It has been tried lately with the Telecom Chorus service people. They are responsible for a lot of the office work previously carried out by the company. Another thing that happens is that people don't receive proper safety training, or aren't under control from an employer and skip safety procedures and accidents happen as in a man and his teenage son killed by fumes in a vat they were cleaning. As for the miners - shades of Victor Hugo and the French miners ground down by piece work and responsible for shoring up their workplace in their own time. What conditions Chinese miners work under I don't know but they have had big casualties. I have a book on Finton Patrick Walsh and he saw in the USA how some mining companies ground down their workers. I think one delegate was murdered. It is noticeable that neither under communism or capitalism can workers in dangerous occupations expect good conditions without pressure being brought to bear by them. This contracting out – making the worker assume a business-management role is a real stinker. It has been tried lately with the Telecom Chorus service people.
They are responsible for a lot of the office work previously carried out by the company. Another thing that happens is that people don’t receive proper safety training, or aren’t under control from an employer and skip safety procedures and accidents happen as in a man and his teenage son killed by fumes in a vat they were cleaning.

As for the miners – shades of Victor Hugo and the French miners ground down by piece work and responsible for shoring up their workplace in their own time. What conditions Chinese miners work under I don’t know but they have had big casualties. I have a book on Finton Patrick Walsh and he saw in the USA how some mining companies ground down their workers. I think one delegate was murdered. It is noticeable that neither under communism or capitalism can workers in dangerous occupations expect good conditions without pressure being brought to bear by them.

]]> By: Noko http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172464 Noko Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:46:21 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172464 leftrightout has hit the mark. leftrightout has hit the mark.

]]> By: The Voice of Reason http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172461 The Voice of Reason Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:42:39 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172461 Cool, LRO, it must mean so much for the workers to have you speaking for them. Did they vote you into that position or are you just assuming they're happy that you know what matters to them? I guess you're busy, so to save you the time it takes to google "labour policies", I suggest you start here: http://labourparty.org.nz/policy/ As you'll see, it's the 2008 version. If you really want to speak for workers, you could join the Labour party, put up the ideas you think labour needs, convince the rest of the party to adopt them, get them in the election manifesto and then convince NZ to vote for them. As I've said in earlier posts, now is the time to join Labour. There is no question that the next electoral platform could be radically different if there is an influx of new ideas from new members. Cool, LRO, it must mean so much for the workers to have you speaking for them. Did they vote you into that position or are you just assuming they’re happy that you know what matters to them?

I guess you’re busy, so to save you the time it takes to google “labour policies”, I suggest you start here:

http://labourparty.org.nz/policy/

As you’ll see, it’s the 2008 version. If you really want to speak for workers, you could join the Labour party, put up the ideas you think labour needs, convince the rest of the party to adopt them, get them in the election manifesto and then convince NZ to vote for them.

As I’ve said in earlier posts, now is the time to join Labour. There is no question that the next electoral platform could be radically different if there is an influx of new ideas from new members.

]]> By: leftrightout http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172457 leftrightout Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:21:10 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172457 Sorry but "Comments" and PR stunts mean little to these workers. Where is Labour's commitment to alternative economic policies that ensure secure jobs and a decent wage for workers? Sorry but “Comments” and PR stunts mean little to these workers. Where is Labour’s commitment to alternative economic policies that ensure secure jobs and a decent wage for workers?

]]> By: The Voice of Reason http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172420 The Voice of Reason Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:54:52 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172420 It's also sad when people don't do research before making sweeping statements. The Labour Party has made comment about the lockouts, as a quick search of Red Alert would show. And even better, Labour Party MP's joined the Dairy Workers' picket line at Waharoa and I'm told Trevor Mallard attended a DWU Executive meeting to offer support and to listen to the Waharoa delegates' experiences. Damien O'Connor has fronted the Miner's picket down south, as well. So it would be fair to say Labour are far from silent and even better, they are actually active on the matter. It’s also sad when people don’t do research before making sweeping statements.

The Labour Party has made comment about the lockouts, as a quick search of Red Alert would show. And even better, Labour Party MP’s joined the Dairy Workers’ picket line at Waharoa and I’m told Trevor Mallard attended a DWU Executive meeting to offer support and to listen to the Waharoa delegates’ experiences.

Damien O’Connor has fronted the Miner’s picket down south, as well. So it would be fair to say Labour are far from silent and even better, they are actually active on the matter.

]]> By: Daveo http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172419 Daveo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:52:45 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172419 Labour's actually been pretty supportive, they were right behind the Open Country workers and the Telecom engineers and more recently they've stood by the striking workers at Parliamentary Services and the Ministry of Justice. I've been fairly critical of their record in government but I can't fault them in their support for striking and locked out workers over the last year. Labour’s actually been pretty supportive, they were right behind the Open Country workers and the Telecom engineers and more recently they’ve stood by the striking workers at Parliamentary Services and the Ministry of Justice.

I’ve been fairly critical of their record in government but I can’t fault them in their support for striking and locked out workers over the last year.

]]> By: Noko http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172407 Noko Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:50:28 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172407 It's even sadder when you don't see Labour supporting them. Workers party, my ass. It’s even sadder when you don’t see Labour supporting them. Workers party, my ass.

]]> By: Daveo http://thestandard.org.nz/softly-softly-treatment-for-militant-employers/comment-page-1/#comment-172393 Daveo Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:02:44 +0000 http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=25408#comment-172393 I think the media has been pretty fair in its reporting of recent industrial disputes, but you're right that the commentariat has been virtually silent. I think it's a basic issue of class here - most media commentators are in comfortable well-paid jobs and circulate among the elite. These people don't know what it's like to struggle to pay the bills, and their lack of a wider perspective leaves them blind to the current industrial offensive by militant employers and what it means for the people on the receiving end of it. I think the media has been pretty fair in its reporting of recent industrial disputes, but you’re right that the commentariat has been virtually silent.

I think it’s a basic issue of class here – most media commentators are in comfortable well-paid jobs and circulate among the elite.

These people don’t know what it’s like to struggle to pay the bills, and their lack of a wider perspective leaves them blind to the current industrial offensive by militant employers and what it means for the people on the receiving end of it.

]]>