workers’ rights

Categories under workers’ rights

Too many jobs being created

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, November 7th, 2018 - 14 comments

The latest unemployment data showing the jobless rate falling to under 4% follows the equally bad 1.0% economic growth in the September quarter and a budget surplus of $5.5b, confirming the economy is going down like Donald Trump, as predicted by the ANZ Bank’s business confidence survey

Lime Sour

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 pm, October 25th, 2018 - 56 comments

Lime scooters are this year’s finger spinner. The problem is that unlike last year’s must have toy, e-scooters are a public menace.

Happy Labour Day

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, October 22nd, 2018 - 15 comments

We’ve written a bit about Labour Day over the years – see the archives for the origins, history, and importance of the day. Enjoying your weekend? Thank a unionist!

Alternative Trade Strategy hui

Written By: - Date published: 5:10 pm, October 11th, 2018 - 7 comments

Information concerning a hui scheduled for October 19 and 20 at Auckland University to set out what an alternative and progressive trade strategy should look like.

How Patriarchy Works; A Newshub Special Investigation

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, September 25th, 2018 - 80 comments

A schoolgirl correctly identified exactly what caused the stink at Carterton South school. Why wasn’t she listened to?

Wellington bus debacle deeply damaging to Govt’s transport policy

Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, September 24th, 2018 - 66 comments

Wellington has been the poster city for public transport in Aotearoa, but the debacle of introducing the hated hub system to Wellington’s bus system not only threatens that status but has wide implications for the success of government’s policy of favouring public transport over cars. Intervention is needed.

Beyond Left and Right?

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, September 17th, 2018 - 78 comments

Does an understanding of class politics define being left? And if we’re not reading books by Marx and Lenin any more, will the revolution be digitalised?

Coalition Problems? Tell ’em they’re Dreaming!

Written By: - Date published: 6:44 pm, September 13th, 2018 - 82 comments

Oh dear. The Winston Peters led governing coalition has completely collapsed and thank God Simon Bridges is there to pick up the pieces. I warned you this would happen! And look! Over there … the sky is falling. Falling, I tells ya!

Business NZ runs bogus poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, September 12th, 2018 - 65 comments

Business NZ has admitted that a poll that it ran was fundamentally flawed but has threatened to go to the ILO about Labour’s rather modest proposed changes to Industrial Relations law.  And Radio New Zealand has reported on an industrial dispute involving Sistema plastics where union workers are working 60 hour working weeks without overtime pay on not much more than the minimum wage.

Guest post – Breast is best

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, September 9th, 2018 - 26 comments

It is high time we wean ourselves off the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels. We need to grow up.

Kremlin Killers?

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, September 6th, 2018 - 272 comments

UK Police have named the two Russian spies accused of the Novichok poisonings. But what can Britain do about it?

Parliament and bullying

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, August 31st, 2018 - 41 comments

It should be a qualification of being a Labour Member of Parliament that they treat their worked in an exemplary manner.

Business confidence verses business certainty

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, August 31st, 2018 - 37 comments

Lately the news has been all doom and gloom about business confidence.  But what is the reality?  And should we worry what an Australian Bank is telling us?

Facing Meka

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, August 31st, 2018 - 143 comments

How should Labour react to the loss of two Ministers in a week? And what would John Key have done?

Litigation and equal pay – a history of the 1950’s equal pay campaign

Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, August 28th, 2018 - 3 comments

Forward In 2016 I wrote the below dissertation as part of my History Honours degree at Victoria University.  This dissertation explores the 1950s equal pay campaign, and specifically looks at the Jean Parker Case. Jean Parker was a PSA member employed at IRD, who like Kristine Bartlett 60 years later, won a landmark equal pay legal […]

Remembering Chris Morley

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 am, August 27th, 2018 - 7 comments

On Friday 27 July 2018, Wellington Tramways Union Vice President Chris Morley passed away after a short battle with Cancer, aged 62. Chris had been a Wellington bus driver since 1978, when public transport in the city was run and controlled by Wellington City Council. In 2008 I was privileged to be elected to the Tramways Union […]

Period. End. Done.

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, August 26th, 2018 - 42 comments

The Scottish government has just taken a massive step to eradicate period poverty. Why not here?

The Greens. Do We Need ’em?

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 pm, August 20th, 2018 - 139 comments

What’s the point of the Green party? Do we really need them? Really?

We need more radicals coming here

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, August 9th, 2018 - 68 comments

We need more radical voices again here. But it’s like MMP has turned us once again into the passionless people. It always looks like “hate speech” when you hate it.

Rally Against Racism in Auckland Tonight

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, August 3rd, 2018 - 190 comments

There are various protests against the visit of the two Canadian hate speakers in Auckland tonight.

BREAKING NEWS: The owner of the proposed venue, Eden Terrace’s Powerstation, has apparently pulled the plug on the event. And the event organiser’s website says tickets will be refunded.

PLEASE NOTE: The organised protests are still on. Celebrate at Aotea Square at 5.30!

 

Nurses.

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 27th, 2018 - 76 comments

There’s a sickness affecting our health system.

Hate Speech Coalition Cans Canadian’s Crusade

Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, July 25th, 2018 - 102 comments

BREAKING NEWS:

Alt Reich hate speech tour CANCELLED

Helen Kelly: Together

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, July 23rd, 2018 - 7 comments

In 2015 Helen Kelly agreed to let documentary maker Tony Sutorius – the award winning director of Campaign – into her life to document her last year of activism. The result is Helen Kelly: Together – a stunning affirmation of both her dedication to justice, and her friendships with those she fought alongside.

Is Matthew Hooton becoming a socialist?

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, July 20th, 2018 - 41 comments

Occasional Standard reader Matthew Hooton has written a cogent column on industrial relations in which he realises and accepts that wages for ordinary workers are too low.

No Mates National

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, July 15th, 2018 - 68 comments

Peter Dunne has some sage advice for National; phone a friend. If you can find one.

The teachers’ strike

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 4th, 2018 - 56 comments

Teachers have indicated they will also be seeking a significant catch up in salaries and job conditions after a decade of neglect.

Families Package and Auckland Regional Fuel tax kick in

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, July 2nd, 2018 - 48 comments

Labour’s Family Package and the Auckland Regional Fuel tax have both kicked in.

Arses and Elbows

Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, July 1st, 2018 - 50 comments

Deserving workers and undeserving workers in the public service.

updated

Soper gets sucked in by National’s fake Ardern quote

Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, June 28th, 2018 - 51 comments

Barry Soper in the Herald has fallen for National’s fake news concerning something said by Jacinda Ardern that was taken totally out of context.

Shock horror, National is telling fibs about Labour’s Industrial Relations policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 27th, 2018 - 102 comments

National has claimed that Jacinda Ardern ruled out national strikes during the last year’s election campaign.  And has trimmed a video and taken comments out of context to justify its claim.

Jessica Williams tweets about the stupidity of the Taxpayer’s Union

Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, June 18th, 2018 - 26 comments

Twitter in the right hands can be a very dangerous thing.  As shown by Jessica Williams when she questioned the intellectual grunt of the taxpayers union in this series of tweets.

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