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 […]
For Internationalism
Anyone keeping an eye on Palestine, Myanmar, Western Sahara, or any other state repression, has witnessed two familiar opposing narratives emerge. On one hand, the mass counter-repression response is a reminder that collective action can raise an internationalist solidarity response. On the other, the reactionary voice of nationalism rears its ugly head, from both the […]
Make the pay freeze a dead letter
On Wednesday 5 May, the government announced a pay freeze for public sector workers. Pay, already frozen in 2020 to June this year, will continue to be frozen for another three years. Staff earning over $100,000 will not receive a pay rise at all over this period. For workers earning between $60,000 and $100,000 the […]
Tramways Union Threatens Wellington Bus Strike
On 14 April Tramways Union members working for NZ Bus in Wellington voted 204 to 2 for industrial action. Action could be called any time soon, but under the anti-worker Employment Relations Act the union must give the employer 24 hours’ notice, thus giving a little time for NZ Bus to organise to limit disruption, […]
