Hillside was the heart of working class in the South
This is the transcript of a speech given at the anniversary of the closure of Kiwirail’s Hillside workshop in Dunedin by Andrew Tait on Friday 20th December, 2013. Right now in Korea, the railway workers union is out on strike against privatising rail. The government has met the strike with repression but this is nothing new […]
Auckland Taxi Drivers Show Direct Action Works
A group of taxi drivers at Auckland International Airport went on a hunger strike in protest late last year over their working conditions. This dispute started when President Taxis were notified that this company would no longer have a contract with Auckland Airport. About 50 drivers are employed by President taxis which means they will […]
Transforming our Unions: a report from the PSA Youth National Conference
Earlier this week the Public Service Association’s Youth Network (PSAY) held its annual conference. 90 members of the PSAY Network met to discuss issues relevant to young workers and build youth participation in the union. While young workers join the PSA and become delegates at roughly similar rates to their older colleges, they are under-represented […]
Why fruit is picked by migrant workers
This article by Richard Seymour out of the UKraises issues of importance for the workers’ movement in Aotearoa, given seasonal labour’s role in fruit and horticulture, and recent debates – within the ruling class and media – on migration, exploitation and seasonal workers from the Pacific. The debate over the decision to scrap a seasonal […]
Rediscovering the 1949 Carpenters’ Strike
The following was delivered as a talk at the International Socialism Day School 2013 by Kevin Hodder. The 151 day waterfront lockout, and its eventual defeat, of militant workers is legendary, and widely recognised as the beginning of the end for one period of union militancy in New Zealand. Its story is widely known in […]
Auckland Rallies for Workers’ Rights
Stop-work meetings in Petone, Auckland and then Christchurch this last week have been part of the campaign against National’s proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act. Yesterday’s rally drew thousands of workers. Overall, the meeting, which lasted around forty minutes, was a lively event with an upbeat mood amongst almost 5000 workers. There were contingents from the […]
Your Rights At Work Under Threat
The Employment Relations Act Amendment Bill had its First Reading in Parliament on 5th June and passed by 61 votes (National, ACT & Dunne) to 58. The Bill now goes to the committee stage and will come back at the end of the year for the critical Third Reading that will decide whether it will […]
Wellington McDonald’s workers standing strong
Members of our Wellington branch were proud this morning to stand in solidarity with Unite union members striking for a living wage at McDonald’s. McDonald’s makes hefty profits, but its workers, on casual contracts, are paid minimum wages. The strike was solid – union members on a morning shift came out, and were joined by […]
Campaigning for a Living Wage
The Service and Food Workers’ Union recently initiated a campaign for a ‘living wage.’ This call has been endorsed by scores of community and union groups, from the Meat Workers to the PPTA to the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa. The Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand Campaign’s statement ‘call[s] upon the Government, employers and society […]
“Restructuring”: Job Losses at Elam School of Fine Arts
[Thanks to Natasha Ovely for submitting this guest post.] Somewhere alongside the white wall studios slapped with half-hearted painterly expressions and littered with lewd, lazy structures, lie a set of workshops brimming with activity that beckon the golden years of art-making. These technical workshops are fast paced and at times chaotic environments that few people […]
