workers’ rights

Categories under workers’ rights

health and safety (156)
unemployment (251)
Unions (427)
wages (502)

Sexist dinosaur Nats

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:07 am, June 27th, 2011 - 59 comments

Employers and Manufacturers Association head Alasdair Thompson’s sexist outbursts have drawn near universal condemnation, and are likely to cost him his job. But while we’re about the business of punishing sexist dinosaurs, we should set our sights a little higher than Thompson.

Alasdair Thompson lolz

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:03 am, June 24th, 2011 - 34 comments

Your morning Facebook-related Alasdair Thompson lolz.

This man is pure comedy gold.

If it quacks like a sexist duck…

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:32 pm, June 23rd, 2011 - 126 comments

Sure Alisdair Thompson’s comments today were sexist.

But they were also so dumb it’s hard to be offended.

Queen of Thorns explains

The Magic Market

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:22 am, June 20th, 2011 - 64 comments

Low-paid, crappy job? It’s obviously your fault, according to the Right. You mustn’t have enough qualifications, or the correct ones. The good jobs are out there, they’re just hiding. Or, if they’re not, you can weave one from thin air. But, even if this free market magic were real, what’s the end point? The crap jobs still need to be filled.

Nats to slash wages

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 6:38 pm, June 16th, 2011 - 155 comments

Patrick Gower has revealed the Nats are poised to announce a policy to reintroduce the youth minimum wage at a rate of about $10 an hour, and potentially make it apply to people in their 20s. Outrageous and a breach of human rights. You should get paid for the work you do. Not your gender. Not your ethnicity. Not your sexuality. Not your age.

When will we learn?

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:35 pm, June 15th, 2011 - 8 comments

Fascinating programme on TVOne Sunday this week – see it here and here – contrasting the Australian approach to mining with the disaster at Pike River. The key difference was the existence of union safety check inspectors. Australia use them, we don’t.

Back to High School for English

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 6:20 am, June 15th, 2011 - 86 comments

My jaw dropped when I heard this listening to Question Time yesterday. Mallard: “Does he understand that real average wages go up when high-income earners get massive tax cuts-$1,000 a week, in his case-and low-income workers lose their jobs?” English: “No, I do not understand that, because it is not true.” Can’t English do simple maths?

Nats plan lower wages for workers

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 13th, 2011 - 18 comments

So you support Maori being paid less than Pakeha for the same work? What about men being paid less than women? No, that would be discrimination, eh? Same work, same pay. So, what about paying a 17 year old less than a 18 year old for the same work? That’s what National is planning if we are stupid enough to give them a second term.

Chart o’ the day: fire at will

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:54 am, June 9th, 2011 - 40 comments

Fire at will was meant to help young people into work, wasn’t it?

Nats planning to drive down our wages further

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:25 am, June 9th, 2011 - 32 comments

National’s election plan is becoming clear. They are going to put a lot of nasty stuff on the table and trust that people love Key’s smiling face so much they will still vote National. If they win, they will take it as a mandate to do everything they’ve said, and more. The latest election policy is more attacks on our work rights.

Better economic info

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:15 pm, June 3rd, 2011 - 7 comments

The CTU’s Economic Bulletin: The 2011 Budget was a victory of story-line over needs… The Budget has no plan to put right New Zealand’s social and economic imbalances, and does little to start cutting back the overseas private debt… The Budget of a thousand cuts put debt and deficits ahead of people’s needs and a plan for the future.

CTU research on minimum wage

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:28 am, May 25th, 2011 - 24 comments

The response to two recent posts here at The Standard have shown what a contentious topic the minimum wage is. So it’s timely that yesterday saw the release of the CTU’s summary of research on Minimum Wage and Jobs.

How’s this for employment conditions?

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 1:00 pm, May 24th, 2011 - 33 comments

Here’s a stunning headline from the Herald on the glamour of working at SkyCity casino:

Flea collars for SkyCity staff

Perhaps next they could introduce compulsory de-lousing baths at the end of each shift?

Choosing to be poor

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:32 am, May 24th, 2011 - 24 comments

Prominent scientist Sir Paul Callaghan thinks Kiwis are choosing to be poor. I reckon he’s right too, but we probably disagree about the reasons.

Budget Protest at Parliament today

Written By: Tammy Gordon - Date published: 11:26 am, May 19th, 2011 - 54 comments

Unions and community groups don’t need to wait till after the Budget is read to know they’ve been screwed. They’re gathering today at Parliament at 12pm for a protest rally – come along if you’re in town. I was talking to a union organiser today who said that one of her main worksites – politically apathetic most […]

Some facts on Wages, Inflation and GDP

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:56 pm, May 17th, 2011 - 40 comments

John Key at a press conference yesterday made some claims about wages, inflation and Treasury predictions that really need looking at a bit more closely.

Some are more equal than others

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:32 am, May 16th, 2011 - 42 comments

As we wait to see just how bad the economy has got under National, and what cuts they will force on us to pay for their follies, Michael Bott’s reports on canvassing in Masterton: “I spent a weekend with a team of Labour volunteers listening to the concerns of the people. A repeated remark was, ‘‘ no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get ahead’’”

This brighter future

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:19 am, May 9th, 2011 - 6 comments

Cleaning up after the royals

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:00 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 14 comments

Buckingham Palace cleaners aren’t even paid the London living wage while the British taxpayer will have to pay for the royal wedding cleanup. That’s one reason why I’m a republican. The Globe and Mail reports: “The cost of cleaning the streets of Westminster the day before the wedding is estimated by the council at $83,000.”

Better off with National?

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:26 pm, April 13th, 2011 - 27 comments

National is making most New Zealand households worse off – 5.3% worse off after 2 years, and it’ll be even worse once the 3rd year’s data is out. As the wage gap with Australia grows, this government is failing its “fundamental purpose”.

Footnote: legal aid.

Evidence-based policy

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 1:05 pm, April 11th, 2011 - 64 comments

From the Dunedin Study, to The Spirit Level, to the IPCC – there is a lot of evidence out there that our government should be basing their policy on. Let’s champion that aim.

No ambition for New Zealand

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:30 am, April 11th, 2011 - 105 comments

National came to power promising to close the wage gap with Australia. Not only have they failed to fulfill that promise but Bill English now portrays it as a good thing. His appearance on Q+A yesterday only confirms how out of touch National is: determined to sell our assets for no good reason, against our will, and happy with our low wages.

English: gap with Aussie good

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:41 am, April 9th, 2011 - 56 comments

Bill English has given up any pretense of closing the gap with Australia by 2025. Now, he is claiming the wage gap is a good thing and admitting higher productivity isn’t the cause of the wage gap. Meanwhile, Fran O’Sullivan slams Key and English’s ‘fingers crossed’ approach to handling financial crises.

Things Just Got Tougher

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:05 pm, April 1st, 2011 - 118 comments

The CTU is launching a new campaign today as part of their ongoing Fairness At Work. Things Just Got Tougher is about the new employment laws that start today, April 1.

Sick April Fool’s Joke

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 7:18 am, April 1st, 2011 - 72 comments

Today National has a terrible April Fools for workers around Aotearoa: 90 day fire-at-will, reduced union access, sick notes after 1 day and minimum wage up a pittance. Workers are doing it tough already, and now National’s turning the screw.

Fact checking Key

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:31 am, March 22nd, 2011 - 17 comments

According to Scoop, the PM is telling porkies about the average income of New Zealanders. On behalf of the various authors here at The Standard I’d just like to say, well, gosh! — imagine our surprise.

Re-run: Unemployment up, productivity up

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 2:42 pm, March 16th, 2011 - 9 comments

As I predicted in this post last year, productivity has risen sharply in the latest stats but for all the wrong reasons.The Herald gushes “NZ employers squeeze more out of fewer workers” but that’s fundamentally wrong. We’re getting less out of even fewer workers. “Labour input” fell 4.3%, while GDP fell 0.8%. Why anyone would think this is a Good Thing is beyond me.

How to put half a billion into working families’ pockets

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 6:18 am, March 9th, 2011 - 58 comments

I/S at No Right Turn has done more excellent work. He’s revealed the official advice Kate Wilkinson was given on the minimum wage. The advice says there is a trade-off between jobs and the minimum wage, but even a rise to $15 an hour would cause an increase wages for low-income earners well above the cost in jobs.

Farrar fluffs food figures

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:28 am, March 7th, 2011 - 51 comments

I thought that with a devastating earthquake, a record oil/food price spike, an unemployment tsunami, and a double-dip recession that the Nats’ apologists might have realised it was time for honest discussion of the issues and solutions. Instead, they’re still trying to bury our heads in the sand.

Unemployment tsunami hits Chch

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:12 pm, March 5th, 2011 - 28 comments

3065 people have already claimed the special benefit for people left unemployed due to the Christchurch earthquake. Once that payment expires in a few weeks they’ll be on the dole, if they’re eligible. The quake killed and did physical damage in seconds but, without action, it will keep strangling the economy and taking jobs for […]

Protest @ WINZ today!

Written By: rocky - Date published: 10:19 am, February 22nd, 2011 - 89 comments

Aucklanders – the fight back against the worst recommendations in the Rebstock report starts now. Join us – Auckland Against Poverty – in a picket, 2pm today outside Work & Income, Sel Peacock Dr, Henderson.