workers’ rights
Categories under workers’ rights
- health and safety (156)
- unemployment (251)
- Unions (427)
- wages (502)
Tax the Rich An animated fairy tale
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, November 30th, 2016 - 10 comments
A short video produced by US unions “to support a fairer tax system”.
Audrey Young on resurgent unions
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, November 26th, 2016 - 13 comments
Audrey Young writes on growing union numbers, strengths, and wins for their members. Excellent!
National better late than never on pay equity
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 26th, 2016 - 5 comments
A 2015 court decision forced National’s hand on pay equity. This week the equity working group reported back. To its credit National is accepting the recommendations, and unions are hailing a big win. But the final form of any law is not yet clear.
Elf & Safety
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, November 24th, 2016 - 6 comments
It was disappointing to see Michael Woodhouse’s complacency for the government at one worker each week dying on the job. That can’t be acceptable. The new health & safety laws are a big improvement, and are making a difference in NZ businesses. It took a ridiculous time (and workers continuing to die) from Pike River […]
Mining engineer: Solid Energy’s decision is “irrational”
Written By: - Date published: 1:37 pm, November 24th, 2016 - 35 comments
An engineer’s report concluded it would be safe to enter the mine to look for evidence of the cause the blasts which killed 29 men.
TPP: An epitaph for self-interested treaties done in secret
Written By: - Date published: 1:23 am, November 23rd, 2016 - 39 comments
The misogynist buffoon, under-skilled charlatan and ignorant bigot that the Americans have elected to be their constitutional monarch for the next four years appears to have effectively killed the constraint of trade agreement known as the TPP. From a freer trade advocate, avid exporter, and labour movement supporter with a touch of green :- Good riddance.
QC describes Pike River mine as a ‘homicide scene’
Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, November 22nd, 2016 - 52 comments
On Checkpoint Nigel Hampton QC described the Pike River mine as a ‘crime scene’ and a ‘homicide scene’, and he questioned the motives of those rushing to seal the mine.
Andrew Little: Promises to Pike families must be kept
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, November 20th, 2016 - 81 comments
Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of the Pike River disaster. Here is a statement released by Andrew Little urging that the mine not be sealed and the deaths of the miners be investigated and their bodies brought home.
Six years on, the government still lies about Pike River
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 19th, 2016 - 11 comments
For six years the families of the men who died at Pike River have not had clear answers about what happened. From the Pike River Royal Commission, they got some answers. From the government, nothing but lies.
Pike River anniversary: what have we become?
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, November 19th, 2016 - 17 comments
Six years ago this morning, 31 men went to work in a coal mine. 29 of them still lay there.
Pike River Mine can be safely re-entered – but the Government says no
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
Damien O’Connor and Denise Roche have taken it to Nick Smith in the House today over the government’s plan to seal Pike River mine forever.
Kindness
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 13 comments
It has been a terrible year. People should think about being kind to each other and looking after each other.
Sonya Rockhouse: This isn’t just about our families. It’s about all of us
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 15th, 2016 - 22 comments
“Now six years later, the Government is moving to seal the mine. They are literally putting hundreds of tonnes of concrete between us and our boys. Between the whole world and whatever evidence of what happened is down there.”
Remembering what happened at Pike
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, November 13th, 2016 - 23 comments
What exactly happened at Pike River? The families of the 29 men who died don’t know, and as Solid Energy moves to seal the mine forever, they demand justice.
#StandWithPike
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, November 12th, 2016 - 17 comments
The Pike River families have decided to take a stand and are occupying the road to the mine to ensure it cannot be closed, sealing up the evidence of what happened and the bodies of their loved ones forever.
Kia kaha, Pike River families
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, November 11th, 2016 - 34 comments
The Pike River families will be protesting tomorrow to get their men out of the mine that killed them.
Don’t mourn, organise
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, November 11th, 2016 - 113 comments
What all good progressives should be doing in these POTUS Trump days.
Trump final campaign ad
Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, November 6th, 2016 - 79 comments
Donald Trump’s last campaign ad lifts the mood of a relentlessly negative campaign between two massively disliked candidates.
Andrew Little: Winning together
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, November 4th, 2016 - 167 comments
In advance of the Labour Party conference this weekend Andrew Little’s message is that the polls are neck and neck, that Labour is winning on many issues and that if we work together the left can win the next election.
Unemployment apples and oranges
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, November 2nd, 2016 - 27 comments
A fall in the jobless rate is superficially good news, but most of the “fall” since May is due to changes in the way the measure is calculated. Wages remain flat, though less so for union members.
Through the Looking Glass.
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, October 31st, 2016 - 15 comments
The culture being addressed will be familiar enough to many here in NZ who deal with Work and Income. Government strategies to address that culture? Well, that’s another story. This isn’t just happening half a world away. It might as well be happening in another universe – back on the sane side of some looking glass NZ has fallen through.
Workers’ rights – the Uber ruling
Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, October 30th, 2016 - 34 comments
Recent decision in the UK is a victory for workers and their rights.
The Dreamworld tragedy is a perfect metaphor for a failing system
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 29th, 2016 - 71 comments
The loss of four lives at the Dreamworld fun park in the Gold Coast suggests that the corporate greed is good mantra is not working as well as we should expect.
Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, October 28th, 2016 - 182 comments
Trump is the “human molotov cocktail” that many Americans have been waiting for.
Farewell Helen Kelly
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, October 28th, 2016 - 15 comments
Updated with video of the service. Details of the memorial service celebrating Helen Kelly’s life scheduled for today.
Happy Labour day
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, October 24th, 2016 - 26 comments
From the movement that brought you equal pay, the weekend, minimum wages, child protection laws, injury prevention, the right to organise …
Workers, unions and the Labour party
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, October 23rd, 2016 - 198 comments
Convincing workers not to organise in their own best interests is one of the great successes of right-wing politics.
DHBs telling porkies about junior doctors’ strike
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 19th, 2016 - 44 comments
Junior doctors are speaking out against the misinformation being spread by DHBs.
Working with Helen
Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, October 15th, 2016 - 17 comments
I worked with Helen at the CTU for about seven years from 2008.
Helen Kelly: Just plain good
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 14th, 2016 - 41 comments
I’m going to miss you, mate.
Victory! Fast-food workers get fully guaranteed hours
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 11th, 2016 - 13 comments
UNITE Union members have won big following the banning of zero-hour contracts.
- What I ate while I grieved
Remembering what makes the food of mourning taste a little sweeter. My husband Bill died unexpectedly one afternoon. He’d been unwell for a while but there was no suggestion that he would be gone so suddenly. It was a shattering day. Our two sons and I spent time with him ...2 weeks ago - Booze, brawls, batons and blood: The Queen Street riot, 40 years on
On December 7, 1984, more than 10,000 peopled piled into downtown Auckland for a free concert in Aotea Square. A few hours later, Queen Street had descended into chaos. What happened? Gabi Lardies asks people who were there. With special thanks to Bryan Staff and Bruce Jarvis for use of ...2 weeks ago
- Cuts To Humanities And Social Sciences Research Will Impact Māori Most
Humanities and social sciences are foundational to advancing and nurturing the next generation of Māori scholars. Without this funding avenue, the future for them looks pretty grim. ...2 weeks ago - Climate Commission Methane Advice A Chance To Pull Climate Emergency Brake: Greenpeace
The intensive dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is NZ’s worst climate polluter, belching out vast amounts of superheating methane gas, Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn says. ...2 weeks ago
- Review: Double Whammy’s first all-ages gig proves punk is for the children
Former underage gig-goers turned average-age music lovers Gabi Lardies and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith review Double Whammy’s first all-ages gig, featuring Dartz, Dune Rats and Groopchat. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith: Gabi, do you remember your first all-ages gig? I was 15 and watched Miss June tear up the grimy little stage at the Old ...2 weeks ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Lamium purpureum’ by Joel LeBlanc
A new poem by Joel LeBlanc. Lamium purpureum I found an old notebook containing research for an article I wrote nine years ago on Deadnettles. On impulse, I googled it. The words of my younger self echoed through years, bold and clear and sure of himself, lecturing me on anti-inflammatory ...2 weeks ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 6
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Tiahuia: A Karanga for My Mother by Merenia Gray (Huia Publishers, $45) Striking cover! Here’s the ...2 weeks ago
- Our favourite Christmas movies and where to watch them
Looking for a festive film to watch this Christmas? We’ve got you covered. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Breaking news: it’s officially December, and Christmas is only 19 sleeps away. Down here in Ōtepoti Dunedin it’s staying light until 10pm, and ...2 weeks ago
- A reminder about your Spotify Wrapped
There are better ways to support the artists whose music got you through 2024. It’s that time again, when Instagram stories are clogged to high heavens with people sharing their Spotify Wrapped, a collection of data points outlining their listening habits for the year. These include top artists, most played ...2 weeks ago
- The cost of being: A pensioner with no car or cellphone, who spends on books
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 79-year-old writer explains his approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Gay male. Age: 79. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Writer and pensioner. Salary/income/assets: ...2 weeks ago
- The imminent return of charter schools
Without political consensus across the parliament, are we at risk of playing ‘ping pong’ with education? Stewart Sowman-Lund explains for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...2 weeks ago
- Special Honours List 6 December 2024 (Bravery Awards)
The King has been pleased to approve the New Zealand Bravery Awards. The Governor-General, under authority delegated by The King, has been pleased to approve the New Zealand Bravery Awards. ...2 weeks ago
- Commission Delivers First Review Of The 2050 Target And Advice On The Fourth Emissions Budget
These reports are our final advice on the fourth emissions budget (for 2036–2040), and the first five-yearly review of the 2050 emissions target. The target review advice also includes a one-off review of whether international shipping and aviation ...2 weeks ago
- Interim Financial Statements Of The Government Of New Zealand For The Four Months Ended 31 October 2...
The October results are reported against forecasts based on the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (BEFU 2024), published on 30 May 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...2 weeks ago
- Meet James Meager, the man left holding the treaty principles bill
After an acclaimed maiden speech, the new National MP for Rangitata faces his biggest test in politics yet: chairing the committee hearing Act’s controversial bill. He sits down with Toby Manhire to discuss the hearings ahead, and his own path to politics. Few MPs have such an eventful first 12 ...2 weeks ago
- All 4.8 malls in Hamilton ranked from worst to best
From a sad and maybe illegal nod to the last of the city’s true suburban malls to a long overdue artisanal upstart, this is the definitive list of malls in Hamilton, the city of the future. This is the fourth in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the ...2 weeks ago
- The changes to research funding in Aotearoa, explained
The government has eliminated Marsden grants for humanities and social sciences. Shanti Mathias explains what Marsden grants are, and why the change has worried so many researchers. OK, so what’s the Marsden Fund? The Marsden Fund was established in the 1990s to provide contestable government funding for research in New ...2 weeks ago
- What we thought about: Delirious by Damien Wilkins
Welcome to a new series in which two Spinoff writers read a book and then discuss what we thought about it. In this edition, Gabi Lardies and Claire Mabey discuss Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Claire: Gabi, you’ve just finished Delirious: what was your ultimate, overall ...2 weeks ago
- National Government Continues To Punish People For Being Poor
This National government continues to gaslight those experiencing poverty and they're so clearly out of touch with what's happening on the frontline, it's disappointing, embarrassing and to be frank quite reckless. ...2 weeks ago
- Juliet Gerrard: Funding the whole pie
Humanities and social sciences research is no longer eligible for the Marsden Fund. It’s a tiny portion of our overall research funding, yet makes a massive impact – and without it, the pie starts to crumble, writes a former Marsden Fund chair. The frustrating thing about crazy ideas is that ...2 weeks ago
- From classroom to studio: How Mukpuddy’s Ryan Cooper made it in animation
Mukpuddy co-founder Ryan Cooper has been working in the animation industry for over 20 years. He shares his advice on staying competitive in the industry, what trends to look out for, and what he looks for when hiring people himself. The animation industry today is more diverse, creative, and far-reaching ...2 weeks ago
- A ball-by-ball analysis of backyard cricket at the prime minister’s house
Christopher Luxon hosted the Black Caps and visiting English test team at Premier House earlier this week. Joel MacManus took extensive notes of every moment from the 30 reportable minutes. On Tuesday evening, prime minister Christopher Luxon welcomed the New Zealand and England men’s teams to Premier House ahead of ...2 weeks ago
- Help Me Hera: I watched Past Lives and now I can’t stop thinking about an old friend
We’re both in happy relationships with other people now. Is it insane to reminisce about the time we secretly, almost, maybe fell in love? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, Many years ago, a platonic relationship with a friend came close to becoming a romantic one. The timing was ...2 weeks ago
- How Does Te Tiriti o Waitangi Compare To Treaties In Other Colonial Countries?
Aotearoa is unique among settler colonial states in having one treaty with the indigenous people, but how does that compare with treaties made with other first nations in Canada, the US and Australia? ...2 weeks ago
- An Investigation In The Carbon Emissions Of Members Of Parliament (MPs) In NZ
This study was sparked by an interest in examining New Zealand’s carbon emissions, focusing on specific corporations and groups within the country. It reflects a global trend of heightened environmental awareness as individuals and organisations increasingly ...2 weeks ago
- Govt’s Personal Grievance Changes Will Empower Bad Employers
“The Prime Minister and his cabinet continue to demonstrate that they are governing only for employers and couldn’t care less about the people who get up every day and go to work to keep this country running,” said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting ...2 weeks ago
- Govt’s Methane Review Designed To Disguise Ideology As Fact – Greenpeace
The methane review is designed to disguise political ideology as scientific fact. It was set up to bypass the independent scientific advice of the Climate Change Commission because that advice didn’t say what the Government - & the livestock industry lobbyists ...2 weeks ago
- Beyond ‘Depopulation’: The Brutal Truth Of New Zealand’s Bird Flu Outbreak
Bird Flu Bombshell: 80,000+ Chickens Set to Die – When Will We Wake Up? ...2 weeks ago
- Norway Stops Seabed Mining, Putting More Pressure On NZ To Follow
Greenpeace spokesperson Juan Parada says, "This move by Norway to stop the seabed mining in its tracks is a historic win for ocean protection and for the growing movement opposed to the damaging new extractive industry, and puts the spotlight firmly on ...2 weeks ago
- Christchurch Airport Firefighters To Strike Over Poor Pay Offer
The firefighters will refuse to carry out a range of duties over a 21-day period, beginning 8am Wednesday 18 December 2024 and ending 6pm Wednesday 8 January 2025. ...2 weeks ago
- Supreme Court Decision Shows Need For Government To Stop Interfering In The Judicial Process
The Court noted, crucially, that the rights of customary marine title holders and all New Zealanders can co-exist. This whole political debacle, dominated by extreme voices, has obscured the reality that the customary interests of iwi and hapū and ...2 weeks ago
- Honeymoon Over For National, Poll Suggests
Assuming all seats are held, and using the Electoral Commission’s seat calculator, these results would deliver an overhang in Parliament with both Te Pāti Māori and National winning more electorate seats than their party vote entitlement. ...2 weeks ago
- AJP Demands Stronger Laws To Protect Animals Like Rocky
“This failure highlights the urgent need for stronger laws and enforcement,” said Danette Wereta, AJP spokesperson. “Dogs like Rocky deserve better. Life-chaining and neglect are preventable - weak laws let this cruelty continue.” ...3 weeks ago
- CRL: Greater Transparency Needed For Our Largest Infrastructure Project
“Human error has given us a glimpse into how dire the situation really is” said Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance Spokesman, Sam Warren. ...3 weeks ago
- “Same Old Labour” Clearly Not Ready To Return To Treasury Benches
“Labour has never met a tax it didn’t like” said Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Sam Warren. ...3 weeks ago
- Labour’s Commitment On Tax Welcomed – With Caveat
“Labour’s commitment to tax reform appears to be strong this time around and that is certainly good news,” says Glenn Barclay, chair of Tax Justice Aotearoa. ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand Nurses To Hold Nationwide Strike
The fight for free and universal health care must be linked with the political struggle for the socialist reorganisation of society. Workers cannot limit their demands to what the parliamentary parties and union bureaucrats claim is “realistic” or ...3 weeks ago
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