Tories’ crack at socialism a poor substitute

Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, October 31st, 2008 - 5 comments
Categories: election 2008, labour, national, wages, welfare, workers' rights - Tags:

National’s redundancy package would effectively continue Working for Families payments for some people who would otherwise lose them after redunancy. Only people who have been in the same job for six months would get it, cutting out labourers, temps, and contract workers. For about the same cost, it would deliver more money to fewer people than Labour’s policy, and would give more money to the more well-off. Labour’s scheme is better for the working class, National’s for highly indebted mortgage holders.

It’s nice they’ve had a crack at protecting workers but the instinct to favour the better-off always wins through, eh?

[You also have to consider the wider packages. While Labour’s strengthening work rights and offering a minimum redundancy entitlement, National won’t dare touch redundancy out of fear of offending its business mates and is instead planning to give employers the power to fire at will during a recession.]

5 comments on “Tories’ crack at socialism a poor substitute ”

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  1. toad 1
    31 October 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Yep, Steve. The other aspect of it is that people with very limited cash assets and no or very low income are already able to get Temporary Additional Support to meet accommodation costs that they find they are unable to afford.

    But the way the formula for Temporary Additional Support works, every dollar of additional “chargeable income” (which includes Accommodation Supplement) a person receives reduces their Temporary Additional Support by a dollar.

    So the scheme will help those with a few thousand dollars in the bank much more than those who have nothing, who will get only the In-Work Tax Credit for 16 weeks above what they would have been entitled to get already.

  2. infused 2
    31 October 2008 at 2:33 pm

    Temps and Contract workers? Well that’s what happens when you’re a temp or contract worker eh? It’s short term work.

  3. Incapacitated 3
    31 October 2008 at 2:56 pm

    “It would also lift the ceiling of the weekly accommodation supplement by $100 a week to give greater support to those who had high rent or mortgage payments to meet for the same length of time”

    That will help alot of working class people SP, as well as mortgage holders. And what we don’t want is seeing those mortgages holders lose their properties.

    It basically helps those single-income families or single workers who lose their job but are already eligible for the dole. That’s a majority of lower income earners.

    As much as you would like to spin this, it is a very strange policy from National.

  4. Daveski 4
    31 October 2008 at 4:36 pm

    Let’s hope Key can understand his policy because Helen doesn’t understand hers:

    http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/audrey-young/2008/10/31/herald-stands-story-job-search-allowance/?c_id=1501219

  5. max@gmail.com 5
    1 November 2008 at 9:46 am

    You mean its a better, more thought out policy for those at risk? Is that what you mean incapacitated, toad ?

    You guys just don’t get it do you – hulun is toast.