Notice: Protest Locations Today

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, October 23rd, 2024 - 14 comments
Categories: Economy, Unions, workers' rights - Tags: , ,

Today is the union protest day.

A few of us explored a health privatisation protest which I felt would be positive, but the logistics and resources available to us was miniscule – and after some discussion, we felt joining the union one was best and would support the unions too.

That gave me the opportunity to learn more about unions – and understand the many constraints and handcuffs our laws put on them.

Which is a pity – because now would be a time when the heel of the capitalist oligarchy crunch can’t feel louder. And a strong and unleashed union movement would be incredible.

I’ve also noticed unions have been until recently when the Opposition seems to have become more vocal – one of the leading voices to speak up against this government’s actions.

Remember – 1/3 of Dunedin turned out for their Dunedin hospital protest: “Do it once, Do it Right” – but this government didn’t even blink, and most media downplayed how big a deal it was.

So given how this government – and our corporate funded system – operates – the solidarity is now key.

Standing together no matter what our concern – and the concerns are numerous under this government.

  • Is it the live export ban which is cruelty to animals?
  • Is it the fact that they created a fast track process to intentionally bypass all environmental and community checks – and overrule at least a decade of court rulings?
  • Is it the fact that they are going to bring in wide scale commercial sea bed mining to decimate our wildlife and environment?
  • Is it their systematic attack on the disabled community?
  • Is it the privatisation of our water, education, roads, prisons, and hospitals / health care?
  • Is it telling GPs that to survive they should lump increased costs on sick Kiwis?
  • Is it playing games with school lunches, taking away nutritional components and role modelling – so David Seymour can get his hobby project to privatise education?
  • Is it their insistence to lecture and take away research backed Maori policies and outreach – including playing politics with Section 7AA which had nothing to do with incorrectly placing Maori children in care – and everything to do with better outcomes for tamariki?
  • Is it the persistent and pathological liar of Prime Minister Luxon, or the nefarious arrangements of Chris Bishop on everything he touches, or perhaps the $500,000 hatchet job Bill English did on Kainga Ora?
  • Is it their torpedoing of our climate and environmental progress – in worshipping the dying fossil fuel industry which they try to sell as a super hero, when it is the incarnate of destruction?
  • Is it their wholesale ignoring of workers – teachers, doctors, nurses, Uber drivers?
  • Or maybe just their wholesale adoption of a tried failed Tory playbook – run by the same neoliberal junk tanks that fund politicians like David Seymour and Chris Luxon?

Which is it? Because there’s a lot more and today is just about standing together in solidarity. Kiwi to Kiwi, and shoulder to shoulder.

Tui

14 comments on “Notice: Protest Locations Today ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. lprent 1
    23 October 2024 at 10:57 am

    I forgot this is happening. I'll head off to Aotea Square shortly on my bike.

    Thanks Tui.

  2. Drowsy M. Kram 2
    23 October 2024 at 11:32 am

    Thanks – hoofing it to Arena 5 in Palmy now.

  3. Subliminal 3
    23 October 2024 at 12:08 pm

    Off to Trafalgar center in Nelson. Remember that Palestine protests have been week after week for a year now. This may need similar levels of commitment.

  4. lprent 4
    23 October 2024 at 12:22 pm

    Housekeeping. Paid stopwork meeting.. having never really been a union member – never thought about it. But that is important.

  5. Darien Fenton 5
    23 October 2024 at 1:19 pm

    Post your vids on FB and Twitter. Seeing quite a few of workers on the bus on their way. Yes, it is a paid stop work meeting : Unions only get two a year and they have chosen to use one of them for these rallies. Workers have to be back at work on time, so hence timeframe.

  7. Karolyn_IS 7
    23 October 2024 at 3:29 pm

    It was a very good turnout at Aotea Sq. I'm now retired, so no longer a union member, but went in support of workers & maintaining/improving public services and infrastructure. It was great to see the union support and from across the generations.

  8. gsays 8
    23 October 2024 at 5:08 pm

    Good turnout in Palmy today, around 300 is my guess. A well organised hui that finished on time!

    5 motions passed unanimously. Good ratio of tangata whenua.

    Key part will be turning the hui into doey. We were tasked with encouraging work colleagues/whanau/family/friends to join a union/movement. Also to be vocal about resistance.

    On a personal note it was good to meet another Standardista in the flesh.

    • tWig 8.1
      23 October 2024 at 5:24 pm

      Gave my name to sign up to R.U.M. Retired Union Members. The Union for us OAPs.

      Fantastic meeting, full of energy and of very smart organisers, who stirred up the crowd (and me) in a most satisfactory way.

      The remits were well thought out, and the
      union members speaking to them, poignant.

  9. Rachel Cullens 9
    3 November 2024 at 11:40 am

    Tui, I would really love to speak with you about creating a nationwide movement against privatisation of healthcare. I'm gravelly concerned about privatisation of radiology. My current field of practice is MRI which is one of the most privatized modalities ($90m per year in outsourcing). Please feel free to contact me through LinkedIn or Gmail. rhcullens@gmail.com. Same goes for anyone else reading this with same concerns/focus 🙂

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