workers’ rights

Categories under workers’ rights

America would never happen here!

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, January 22nd, 2025 - 40 comments

Why corporate fascism may no longer be a distant dream – and how it’s closer than you might think

President Biden’s Accomplishments

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, January 11th, 2025 - 33 comments

It’s common these days to see the rapid 2024 exit of multiple global social democrat leaders as just a post-COVID symptom of democratic impatience. But Biden achieved far more than his age-related decline obscures.

2024 in review

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, December 31st, 2024 - 25 comments

It is that time of year when during the brief hiatus of civilisation known as the holidays we get the time to reflect on what has happened over the past 12 months.

Wage theft – now that is a real crime

Written By: - Date published: 5:38 pm, December 30th, 2024 - 17 comments

In Australia, the Fair Work Act is enhanced to provide for jail time and large fines for individuals and companies who deliberately indulged in wage theft. It is a Federal act with investigative powers. Our members ‘Theft by Employers’ bill looks pathetic by comparison. But worth passing in its 3rd reading. It would be a “real tough on crime” act – not weak like Mark Mitchell’s tee-shirt snatch.

Labour day

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, October 28th, 2024 - 21 comments

Enjoying your weekend? Thank a unionist!

10,000 across the country meet to push back against government policies (PHOTOS)

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 24th, 2024 - 9 comments

Here are photos of the union protest around the country yesterday.

Notice: Protest Locations Today

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, October 23rd, 2024 - 14 comments

Today is Protest Day – Stand Together. Here are the locations around the country and why you might feel moved to join.

Doomed?

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, October 21st, 2024 - 62 comments

“We’re doomed” was Private Frazer’s inevitable response to any crisis in “Dad’s Army”. One might stray into such despondency when considering the external context in which New Zealand finds itself, then considering what we are doing as a nation to respond. Nigel Haworth looks at where we are at.

Where’s the “Oomph”?

Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, October 6th, 2024 - 92 comments

Join us to protest privatisation of health on the 23rd October. But can we have more oomph and co-ordination please?

Unions are still relevant

Written By: - Date published: 5:50 pm, September 7th, 2024 - 26 comments

Unions have fought for the rights of employees in the past, present, and future.

Gormless Government releases confidential legal advice on Charter School law

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 6th, 2024 - 31 comments

The Government has mistakenly released confidential legal advice confirming that the Charter School legislation breaches ILO conventions, free trade agreements and potentially the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.

Where Does Labour Rebuild? 

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, August 26th, 2024 - 48 comments

It won’t come from the working class. But we know where it will come from.

NZ: No jobs, expensive housing, time to leave

Written By: - Date published: 4:26 pm, August 21st, 2024 - 63 comments

It gets rather depressing reading the statistics on National’s induced recession as they steadily push New Zealand into stagflation. The Reserve Banks unplanned OCR decision last week wasn’t a hopeful sign. We’re in for a few years of a National led and created recession. Get out while you still can

Maritime Union v Willis

Written By: - Date published: 12:16 pm, August 7th, 2024 - 49 comments

National’s decision to cancel the replacement Cook Strait ferry project is developing into a full blown political crisis for the Government with estimates that it could cost the Crown up to a billion dollars and with further costs to come.

PSA wins an important case about collective agreements

Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 18th, 2024 - 3 comments

The PSA just won an important case in the Employment Relations Authority against the Ministry of Education about collective agreements. There are significiant downstream implications to planned layoffs, legal fights, and Nicola Willis’s already tax cut strained budget.

Sham consultation – sham contracting

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, July 7th, 2024 - 11 comments

Minister for Workplace Relations and Health & Safety Brooke van Velden hasn’t met with the CTU Te Kauae Kaimahi since November last year. And has announced major proposed changes to workers rights and job conditions.

The political centre has moved, someone should tell the strategists.

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, July 2nd, 2024 - 13 comments

30 years ago, we had Dot Matrix printers, Windows 95 and brick cell phones. Today we live in a world of AI, Tik Tok and 5G. While technology changes have been embraced, including in political campaigns, strategies and methods to connect with voters seem stuck in the MS-DOSS era.

Gotta pay for those tax cuts for landlords somehow

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, June 20th, 2024 - 16 comments

What is the lowest most disgraceful thing this Government has done? How about cutting funding for top ups of the wages of disabled workers aimed to get them to the living wage?

Safer streets or unsafer streets?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, June 16th, 2024 - 18 comments

The Government is planning to reverse Labour’s previous policy relating to permanent safe speeds around schools. The change will decrease safety and walking and cycling and increase car use. And the upside is?

Health & safety of workers is apparently about Cones

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, June 15th, 2024 - 37 comments

The Government’s latest announcement about worker safety is about business, not people.

Speech time

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 21st, 2024 - 6 comments

In the past week Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins have both delivered future vision themed speeches. With some dramatic contrasts.

A Deliberate Recession

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, May 20th, 2024 - 51 comments

It is sickening to see how economic power is being used against ordinary New Zealanders right now.

Are we drifting away or falling apart?

Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, May 18th, 2024 - 16 comments

What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?

MPs pay increases

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, May 1st, 2024 - 94 comments

The Remuneration Authority has announced that MPs will be getting a 10% increase in their salaries during the course of this Parliament.

National only wants to help tenants *

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, April 12th, 2024 - 48 comments

* get evicted more easily.

Back on Track?

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, April 7th, 2024 - 71 comments

National campaigned on the promise of getting the country back on track. How is it going?

Uber Drivers in Court of Appeal

Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, March 19th, 2024 - 3 comments

Uber Drivers are in the Court of Appeal today. Uber is appealing against Employment Court decision they they are employees with worker rights. Its a no-brainer, so they are and should have them.

Bene bashing 6.0

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, February 20th, 2024 - 102 comments

So what does National do when its minor support party tries to steal media attention with dog whistling racism? It reverts to some good old beneficiary bashing.

Our Resistance

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, January 11th, 2024 - 7 comments

There are still groups of people in New Zealand who can and do organise to resist the damage of the right.

Why Labour must change course

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, December 19th, 2023 - 49 comments

“A Left government with any claim to progressive credentials will focus on three policy areas – first, high-quality, high value production; second, taxation measures to reduce significantly wealth differences; third, strengthened democracy, including industrial democracy beyond collective bargaining. These three are indispensable. A Left politics, which does not build on these three, will founder.”

90 day trials – Don’t come Monday

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, December 18th, 2023 - 65 comments

This coming week, under urgency and leading into Xmas, the Coalition government will expand 90-day trials to all workers, in yet another payback to National/ACT/NZ First’s (NAF) business backers.