Fired Up Stilettos – Socialists Support Strippers’ Rights
A large crowd gathered on Dixon Street last night to rally in support of 19 strippers who had been unfairly sacked from Calendar Girls strip club for attempting to renegotiate their contracts. These workers have begun organising under the name Fired Up Stilettos, launching a petition to end labour violations in adult entertainment, a gofundme […]
Teachers and the Climate Crisis: An Interview With a Unionist
Note that this interview was conducted on the 8th of February 2023. Subsequent events such as Cyclone Gabrielle, which has devastated parts of the North Island, have shed further light on these issues. Simon Hirini is a secondary school teacher, chair of the Taita College branch of the Post-Primary Teachers Association, and Executive rep for […]
The Wizards Who Delved Too Greedily
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is, unfortunately, a commercial product owned by for-profit company Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC) and therefore by that company’s owners: Hasbro Inc. We say unfortunately because D&D is also an experience, a source of joy, and a source of community for a lot of kids and adults alike. From fantasy […]
Fair Pay Agreements: A Welcome though Imperfect Mercy
The Fair Pay Agreements Bill cleared Parliament on 26 October 2022 and will likely come into law in December. National and ACT voted against and vowed to repeal the new law as soon as they can. That is no idle threat. With a general election due next year any future for FPAs would appear to […]
Book review: Workers Can Win
Legislation such as the Employment Contracts Act in New Zealand and in much of the world has successfully outlawed many of the most powerful tools workers’ unions might wield to improve industrial conditions, and that legislation has remained relatively unchallenged since implementation. Capitalist propaganda has wormed its way into the wider discourse, and many workers […]
Should we Support the Public Sector Pay Adjustment Proposal?
Let’s not beat about the bush; our “Labour” government is disgracefully holding down pay in the public sector below price inflation. According to Statistics New Zealand, while prices rose by 6.9 percent in the year to the end of March 2022, public sector pay only rose by 2.7 percent over the same period: a significant […]
The Cost-of-Living Crisis and Workers’ Resistance: Support PSA Members in the DHBs
In Aotearoa, consumer prices rose by 5.9 percent in 2021. You have to go back to 1990 for inflation higher than this. Prices did not rise evenly throughout last year. Over the first quarter prices rose by 0.8 percent, which was on the high side by the standards of recent years, but not remarkable. For […]
Claud Switzer Aged Care Workers Fight On
On 3 November a post on this website reported on the struggle of aged care workers employed by the Claud Switzer Memorial Trust residential care home in Kaitaia. The struggle is ongoing, as recounted by a 15 December media release by the workers’ union, E tū. Today and tomorrow, 16th and 17th December, E tū […]
The Return of Union Power?
When Labour came to office after the 2017 general election the frustrations built up during the previous 9 years of National Party rule burst forth in a wave of strikes at a level not seen this century. Labour’s electoral rhetoric raised workers’ expectations. In 2016 there had been only 3 work stoppages involving 430 workers. […]
Support the Claud Switzer Residential Care Workers
Once again residential aged care workers are in the front line. Previous actions that come to mind are the 2012 nationwide strikes and the struggle through the courts from 2012 to 2017 for pay equity, led by Kristine Bartlett, which resulted in better wages for workers in residential aged care, disability support services and home […]
