Ngā Taurahere – a new Māori translation of The Internationale
ISO members Kaakatarau Te Pou Kohere (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti te ata Waiohua, Kai Tahu) and Tima Thurlow (Ngāi Tuhoe) are developing a new Māori translation of the workers’ anthem The Internationale. Kaakatarau spoke to Shōmi Yoon about the considerations and politics of The Internationale and the connections to Māoritanga and te ao Māori threaded […]
Jim Edwards, the Communist Party of New Zealand, and unemployment struggles in the 1930s
James Henry Edwards arrested in Norfolk Street after an Anti-Eviction occupation, 1931. The history of the Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ) is worth knowing. Although the Party was never more than small, it was the largest and most influential political formation there had been to the left of the Labour Party until the short-lived […]
The Unemployed: Cheap Labour On Tap
There’s an old Kiwi joke that in the 1950s unemployment was so low, down to a mere few dozen individuals, that the Minister of Labour knew the name of every person collecting the dole. In those days, Government policy had an eye towards the full employment of the working class. Today, state institutions refer instead […]
Healthcare workers in solidarity with Palestine
On 11 October, the fifth day of the war on Gaza, emergency services at Al Shifa Hospital received a call from a nearby neighbourhood. The assault by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) had caused mass casualties in the vicinity of the Karni Crossing. Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances had to wait to receive clearance from Israel. The […]
Uber vs its drivers
On 19th March around 40 people rallied outside the Court of Appeal in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington in support of Uber drivers. The rally called by First Union, which has more than a thousand Uber driver members, was held in the hour before the start of a two-day court hearing. Uber is seeking that the […]
Rally to support immigrant workers
Unions including TEU, First, E Tū, and NZNO gathered outside the Philippines embassy in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington at midday on Friday 19th January 2024, calling on the Philippines government to ensure migrant workers are provided support. New Zealand construction company ELE, which employed numerous Filipino workers on temporary work visas, went into receivership in December […]
Union Response to the War on Gaza
Palestinian unions are urging global unions to show solidarity and refuse to support the ongoing destruction in Gaza, including hospitals, ambulances, and refugee centres. Calling on unions internationally: To refuse to build weapons destined for Israel. To refuse to transport weapons to Israel. To pass motions in their trade union to this effect. To take […]
What Happened to Fair Pay Agreements?
Labour’s 2017 election manifesto commitment to introduce industry-wide Fair Pay Agreements was, arguably, the party’s most radical policy. The idea was to set national terms and conditions for groups of unorganised, low-paid workers – cleaners, security guards and the like – which would put an end to the race to the bottom by the employers. […]
Fired Up for Workers’ Rights
Since February socialists have been following the activity of Fired Up Stilettos (FUS), a group of dancers who have been “kicking up a FUS” ever since they were unfairly sacked from Calendar Girls strip club in Wellington. Braving the possible repercussions, FUS have been blowing the whistle on unscrupulous practices in adult entertainment and agitating […]
Outrageous Treatment of Private Sector Blood Test Workers – Government Must Step In!
APEX union blood test technicians and scientists working for Awanui Labs, formerly SCL Labs, took strike action over the week Wednesday 12 July to Tuesday 18 July, affecting labs from the Hawke’s Bay right to the south of the country. They are speaking out about Awanui’s incredulous offer of absolutely no increase in pay at […]
