workers’ rights

Categories under workers’ rights

Helen Kelly talks about the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety

Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, October 6th, 2012 - 4 comments

CTU President Helen Kelly talks about the Government’s Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety and the need for as many workers as possible to make a submissions and give the Government a real, on-the-ground picture of health and safety in the workplace.

Of Hollywood, Hobbits & NZ-US politics: Episode II

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, October 4th, 2012 - 66 comments

As Key heads off to the US to promote the NZ film industry, I look back at the Hobbit union-busting case and the issues it raised. Will Key’s latest mission to Hollywood, boost the economy, increase jobs and provide benefits to the NZ film industry? Or will it actually undermine the NZ’s economy and democracy, further Americanising NZ’s culture along with it?

“Work” and the false economy of Bennett’s welfare reforms

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 26th, 2012 - 102 comments

Bennett’s reforms aim to cut the costs of government spending on welfare.  But what this means is that more of the necessary caring and service work in NZ will be unpaid, or underpaid.  It doesn’t mean people will necessarily work harder or longer, and that they aren’t making a significant contribution to society and the economy.

The losses keep coming

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, September 24th, 2012 - 54 comments

Welcome to National’s economy: Kiwirail has just announced 158 infrastructure and engineering job losses, and this afternoon Solid Energy will probably announce the loss of 300 jobs at Spring Creek, and 200-250 elsewhere.  This on top of the swathe of job losses in Huntly and Christchurch Solid Energy announced a month ago.

Banks and Dunne vote down minimum wage

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, September 20th, 2012 - 51 comments

David Clark’s private member’s Bill to increase the minimum wage was voted down 61 to 59 last night. Shame on John Banks and Peter Dunne.

Trouble? Re-announce a distraction…

Written By: - Date published: 6:52 am, September 6th, 2012 - 232 comments

I see Paula Benefit is up to her old tricks again. As the government desperately wants to be doing something other than not attending huis over water rights, it’s up to Paula to pull a benefit bash. But she’s obviously run out of ideas so now we’re re-announcing the old bene-bashes.

Clark on the minimum wage

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, September 5th, 2012 - 18 comments

David Clark’s opinion piece in The Herald – “The PM’s cleaner deserves more pay” – makes for welcome reading…

Bye bye workers’ rights

Written By: - Date published: 4:55 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 12 comments

The government is pushing on with their Environmental Relations Act Amendment Bill, reducing workers’ rights to rest breaks.

Community ‘March for Work’ in Greymouth tomorrow

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 33 comments

Spring Creek miners and their families will lead a community March for Work in Greymouth tomorrow calling on Solid Energy and the Government to secure the future of the town and ensure the mine stays open.

Sack PoAL management

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 27th, 2012 - 28 comments

Remember the Ports of Auckland lock-out? The bosses tried to starve out 300 worker to push through contracting out, and ‘save’ $6m a year. The workers won. Now, PoAL has reported a $12m loss caused by the $33m cost of the lockout. So, the bosses spent $33m trying to get a $6m a year ‘saving’.  Time the councils sacks the managers who wasted that money.

Child hardship rise a “bloody disgrace”

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, August 24th, 2012 - 60 comments

David Shearer is right. The rise in inequality under National, shown by the latest Household Incomes report from MSD, is a bloody disgrace. Good on Shearer for his robust and instinctive response. Now we look forward to seeing it reflected in the outcomes from the policy work that is going on behind the scenes.

10 Jacks are as good as their master

Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, August 21st, 2012 - 128 comments

Compare the latest figures on CEO pay to the median income of New Zealanders and to the minimum wage. The average CEO gets 10 times the pay of a full-time minimum wage worker or the income of the typical Kiwi. The gap is growing. The CEO pay increase was 26 times the median income increase, 56 times what a full-time minimum wage earner got. Does anyone think this is a recipe for a happy and successful New Zealand?

Losing a generation

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, August 20th, 2012 - 59 comments

There are just short of 630,000 people aged 20-29. A net 33,000 of them have left for Australia under National – 13,000 in the last year. That’s twice the rate of emigration under Labour. There’s also twice as many unemployed in this age group – 46,000. That’s 1 in 8 of our youngest generation of workers either leaving for Aussie or unemployed under National.

Structural discrimination

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, August 20th, 2012 - 9 comments

Structural discrimination is alive and well in NZ. It makes nonsense of all the right-wing “one law for all” and beneficiary bashing rhetoric.

Hands on Labour

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 pm, August 16th, 2012 - 32 comments

Fresh ideas to grow a stronger manufacturing sector, on top of the major changes Labour has already signalled featured in a speech given today by David Parker to a union audience in Wellington. David Cunliffe was there too,  and I particularly liked the  discussion afterwards. The key players are receptive to good ideas and it looks like Labour will have a real alternative to offer at the next election.

The rich get richer

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, July 30th, 2012 - 30 comments

The pay of CEOs in our largest listed companies increased at more than four times the rate of the pay of workers last year. And workers’ pay actually went backwards after inflation. Meanwhile, the average CEO has pocketed more than $1,500 a week of tax cuts from National. Meanwhile, the 150 richest New Zealanders saw their wealth increase by 18% in the past year.

Choices: Paid parental leave

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, July 26th, 2012 - 46 comments

Key loves mythical “mum and dad investors”. Real mums and dads – not so much.

“Free” market? No: Tournament

Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, July 18th, 2012 - 50 comments

Many modern companies are now operating markets of their own, but they’re not “free” as claimed. Rather there is only one possible purchaser of your labour, leading to a tournament of who is able to accept the lowest pay and conditions. This isn’t even capitalism, but we’re letting them get away with it.

Health & Safety

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, July 17th, 2012 - 12 comments

Right now 28 miners are stuck down a Waihi mine with a fire causing noxious gases.  15 people are being decontaminated at Tiwai Point after an ‘incident’.  At 3.30am the driver of a truck-trailer loaded pressurised cylinders died after crashing into Bulls RSA – probably asleep from the fatigue 24% of truck drivers suffer from […]

Can you afford to buy shares?

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, July 5th, 2012 - 106 comments

The median household has $1700 in the bank – you couldn’t really term that savings, it’s operating cash. The Nats want us to fork out at least a grand a time to participate in each share float. That just doesn’t add up. Labour and the Greens are right, this isn’t an opportunity for ordinary people to invest, it’s a wealth transfer to the elite.

Police to march?

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, June 21st, 2012 - 34 comments

Who guards the guardians if the police march on Parliament?

The game is rigged

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, June 12th, 2012 - 5 comments

Times are tight, right? You’ve probably been told that when your boss says you can’t have a pay rise that keeps up with inflation. Yeah, well. It seems that doesn’t apply to managers. The largest jump in median weekly income has been for managers – twice the change across all workers. In hourly terms, no-one is keeping up with inflation. Welcome to the brighter future.

Great (Tom) Scott!

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, May 31st, 2012 - 15 comments

A living wage

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, May 23rd, 2012 - 17 comments

The Service and Food Workers Union is launching a campaign for a living wage at 12 o’clock today.

[Update: Campaign site]

A good move

Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, May 22nd, 2012 - 16 comments

The government has correctly bowed to pressure and banned foreign-flagged fishing boats from operating in our waters.
We don’t have too many posts praising this government, and to have 2 today may surprise some. But credit where it’s due.

Meatworkers win

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, May 22nd, 2012 - 38 comments

News in that Talley’s/AFFCO and the Meatworkers reached an agreement at 5am this morning. The workers will keep their wage and job security provisions and still be covered by a collective. The workers have displayed incredible strength with support from up and down the country. Next time, bosses will think twice before attacking their workers.

Spin v reality

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, May 21st, 2012 - 13 comments

National have become a very adept PR machine. While not adept at running the country, they’ve become great at running statistics. John Key was pushing things a little too far with his lines that unemployment rising to 6.7% showed an improved economy and that Europe electing anti-austerity leaders showed their austerity policies were right, but […]

Polls and elections

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 19th, 2012 - 21 comments

Another poll to add to current mix. Not a big shift, but in the right direction, and getting the right kinds of headline.  And here’s another headline that isn’t going to help the Nats – the wage gap with Australia is growing at the rate of $1 a month.

Wage cuts for doing your job?

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, May 15th, 2012 - 10 comments

Sometimes during union bargaining that has hit a wall, workers will vote to ‘work to rule’ – ie not do extras beyond the terms of you contract. It’s perfectly legal. In fact, it should be what we all do every day. Working beyond rule is gifting time and effort to the boss for no compensation. But National wants employers to be able to cut your pay for doing your job.

I’d love to see wages drop

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, May 15th, 2012 - 125 comments

Remember when John Key said he’d love to see wages drop? Yep? How about when Bill English claimed our low wages were our competitive advantage. Uh-huh.

Well the changes they’re bringing in to undermine working Kiwis’ bargaining power will do exactly that.

True ‘cost’ of Mondayisation deliberately hidden

Written By: - Date published: 5:02 pm, May 14th, 2012 - 8 comments

An interesting press release from David Clark, sponsor of the “Mondayisation” bill.  It looks like the process of constructing the official advice on this matter was deliberately biased.  Why?