Category: Employment Issues

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Carers’ pay equity highlighted on Human Rights Day – E tū

Source: Etu Union

On International Human Rights Day, E tū is calling on the Government to help fix gender-based pay discrimination by delivering pay equity for care and support workers.

E tū is the union for care and support workers, including those working in residential aged care, home support, disability support, and mental health and addictions. Over 65,000 care workers in Aotearoa New Zealand have been in a prolonged process for a pay equity settlement.

E tū Community Support Services Industry Council Convenor, Marianne Bishop, says it’s important to acknowledge the disparity on International Human Rights Day.

“The underpayment of people working in the care sector is a global issue, which reflects the undervaluation of work traditionally done by women,” Marianne says.

“In Aotearoa, we made some progress with Kristine Barlett’s historic equal pay settlement in 2017, but the pay has slipped back to near the minimum wage.

“A decent and enduring pay equity settlement is well overdue. Carers do this job because we want to make a real difference, and help people live their lives with dignity. Poor rates of pay are taking advantage of our commitment to helping people.

“By valuing care and support workers, we also show that we value the vulnerable elderly and disabled people who they care for.”

E tū National Secretary, Rachel Mackintosh, says fixing pay equity is an important human rights issue.

“Human Rights Day commemorates the anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),” Rachel says.

“This landmark document enshrines the rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

“To honour our commitment to human rights, we must end gender-based pay discrimination. Aotearoa has had some significant pay equity victories, but care and support workers are still waiting – and they’re fed up.

“It comes down to a political choice. The Government has prioritised tax cuts for landlords and tobacco companies, but won’t front up to pay women fairly.

“They must choose a different path, to prioritise working people and our communities. A decent and enduring pay equity settlement would be an excellent start.”

E tū is part of the Pay Equity Coalition Aotearoa (PECA), an alliance of civil society organisations working together to bridge the gender pay gap.

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NZCTU make submission in opposition to Treaty Principles Bill

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua.

“This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are not derived from the text, the intention of the parties or, the historical context in which the document was signed. It represents a direct attack on the legitimate meaning of Te Tiriti to undermine Māori rights,” said Acting NZCTU President Rachel Mackintosh.

“Our recommendation is that the Government completely abandon this Bill and make no further attempts to distort the genuine principles of Te Tiriti or to remove references to the Te Tiriti principles in legislation.

“From restricting the rights of unions to organise to attacking tino rangatiratanga, this Government has proven itself an enemy of collective rights and collective power.

“Just as workers are weakened when their collective strength is undermined, Māori face the risk of losing power and authority if their collective rights are stripped from them.

“This Bill has no place in a modern democracy. It represents backward colonial baggage that should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

“The NZCTU carries a long tradition of representing Māori workers and standing in solidarity with Māori. The struggle for workers’ rights and the struggle for tino rangatiratanga are inextricably linked. Both struggles stand in solidarity against the greed and ignorance of the powerful and claim for ordinary people what they justly deserve.

“The union movement represents more than 60,000 Māori workers, and we stand in solidarity with the tino rangatiratanga movement in the face of yet another attempt to undermine the collective strength of Tangata Whenua and working people,” said Mackintosh.

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Working with businesses to make positive changes

Source: Worksafe New Zealand

Recently, we visited a panel beater in Hamilton that was operating with some poor practices. Our inspector Thomas worked with the business owners to make some changes.

“They’ve made positive changes, including small, low-cost ones such as changing where they work to be more in the open air, how they store the paints and chemicals, and protecting power points and exposed power supplies from being potential sources of ignition,” said Thomas. 

We’re grateful that the business owners were honest about what their knowledge gaps were and open to working with us to make their work safer.  

We’re not always going to visit a business and demand major, high-cost changes. Often, you can improve the safety of a business with a few small, targeted changes. Part of what our inspectors do is offer their expertise to work with businesses to make improvements. 

We know it can be daunting when we visit your business but at the end of the day, we all have the same goal – to make sure you make it home safely from work.  

“They really want this business to be a success and as part of that they really want to look after their own health and safety. It’s a really great result.”    

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GDP Figures No Christmas Present for New Zealand

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney.

“The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller than at any time since June 2022. GDP per capita has now fallen for 8 consecutive quarters, with the fall accelerating in the past six months. The economic situation is even worse than we thought, and that means even more hardship for workers heading into Christmas,” said Renney.

“With unemployment being a lagging indicator, the pain for working people in terms of unemployment is likely to be worse than previously thought.

“Revisions to data have increased the strength of the economy in the past, which have removed the recessions recorded over the past few years. We now know that the economy was growing consistently during 2023 on an annual basis, and we have only had one recession since COVID – which is now.

“The data demonstrated that GDP fell across 11 of 16 sectors last quarter. Output fell across both goods producing sectors and service industries. Business Investment fell -2.5% last quarter, with large falls in plant, machinery & equipment. Falling business investment is likely to mean lower productivity growth in the future, and fewer jobs.

“This isn’t a wake-up call for the government, it’s an alarm. Excluding COVID lockdowns, this is the fastest fall in production GDP over six months since June 1991. Government spending has fallen at the fastest rate since 1992 and the budgets of Ruth Richardson. The economy isn’t back on track, its derailed.

“We have just had a budget where the Government’s fiscal plans have clearly been shown to have failed. Unemployment is rising – and will likely rise more.

“The economy is now showing the impact of the Government’s policies – it’s been in office for a year. It’s clear that it’s time for a new approach, or we will all suffer the devastating economic consequences,” said Renney.

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Overhead power lines spark safety call

Source: Worksafe New Zealand

WorkSafe is urging businesses to prioritise safety near overhead electric lines, after three companies were sentenced within the last week for incidents that killed or injured workers.

In the most severe case a labourer, Sean Clear, was electrocuted while working on a farm near Whakapapa Village in February 2023. His mower had become bogged down, and a digger brought in to extract it contacted an overhead line carrying electricity at 33,000 volts. As Mr Clear was steadying the mower for extraction, the electricity passed through the digger’s arm and into the 25-year-old Irish national, causing his death.

WorkSafe’s investigation found the employer, Coogan Contracting, failed to carry out a risk assessment to identify the overhead power lines as a hazard and have a spotter in place to ensure the lines were not contacted.

Just three months later in May 2023 on Waiheke Island, Emmett Holmes-O’Connor was working on scaffolding that had been installed too close to power lines. Aluminium cladding he was carrying touched the high voltage 11kV line, inflicting an electric shock that caused him to fall backwards nearly four metres off the scaffold. The 31-year-old received major burns to his hand and foot, along with fractures to his spine and ribs.

There was no close approach consent for the work, which is required when work is being done near overhead powerlines, nor a proper risk assessment of the dangers. After an investigation, WorkSafe charged both the employer Joan Carpenters Limited, and the scaffolding company Church Bay Services Limited, for their health and safety failures.

“Both cases are an horrific reminder of just how dangerous it can be when businesses do not take enough care with working around power lines. Businesses must manage their risks and where they don’t, we will take action,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Danielle Henry.

“Anyone working in or around electricity, especially high voltage lines, needs to be aware of the specific mandated requirements for working near powerlines. The local lines company may require a close approach consent application, to ensure the work is conducted safely. Do not start work before you check for consent.”

Construction and agriculture are two of New Zealand’s most dangerous sectors, which is why they are a focus of WorkSafe’s new strategy. WorkSafe’s targeted frontline activities will be increasing in both sectors as there are opportunities to significantly improve health and safety performance, reduce acute and chronic harm, and address inequities.

Read WorkSafe’s guidance on working near overhead electric lines
Read about another recent case of a worker suffering an electric shock

Background:

  • Coogan Contracting was sentenced at Taumarunui District Court on 18 December 2024
  • Reparations of $100,000 were ordered. The fine was reduced to $25,000 due to financial capacity.
  • Coogan Contracting was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 2(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
    • Being a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Sean Clear, while the workers were at work in the business or undertaking, namely assisting with the recovery of a tractor and mower, did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed the workers to a risk of death or serious injury
  • The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.
  • Church Bay Services Limited (CBSL) and Joan Carpenters Limited (JCL) were sentenced at Auckland District Court on 12 December 2024.
  • JCL was fined $16,500 and CBSL was fined $13,500.
  • Reparations of $42,818 were split between both JCL and CBSL.
  • JCL was charged under sections 36(1)(a) and 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
    • Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Emmett Holmes- O’Connor, while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking, namely carrying out construction work (including cladding installation), did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed the workers, including Emmett Holmes-O’Connor, to a risk of death or serious injury from electrocution or electric shock from the high voltage overhead power lines at 17 Coromandel Road.
  • CBSL was charged under sections 43(2)(b) and 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
    • Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the way in which plant or a structure, namely a scaffold, is installed, constructed or commissioned ensures that the plant or structure is without risks to the health and safety of persons who use the plant or structure for a purpose for which it is installed, constructed or commissioned, did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed persons, including Emmett Holmes-O’Connor, to a risk of death or serious injury from electrocution or electric shock from the high voltage overhead power lines at 17 Coromandel Road.
  • The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.

Media contact details

For more information you can contact our Media Team using our media request form. Alternatively, you can:

Phone: 021 823 007 or

Email: media@worksafe.govt.nz

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NZCTU: Minister needs to listen to the evidence on engineered stone ban

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product.

“We need to follow Australia’s example and implement a total ban of engineered stone, a dangerous product that is killing workers,” said Polaczuk.

“Exposure to the silica dust from cutting engineered stone can cause the fatal lung disease silicosis. Workers exposed to this material are developing symptoms at an accelerated rate, and at a much younger age than other occupational respiratory diseases.

“The Minister has said that she’s consulting on the full spectrum of regulatory options but is also saying from the outset that she doesn’t think a ban is the way to go. She needs to keep an open mind and listen to the experts, and not rule out options from the outset.

“In July we joined with 18 other unions, public health experts and health and safety specialists and released an open letter calling on the Minister to listen to the overwhelming evidence and implement a ban. This is now her chance to do so.

“There are safe alternatives to engineered stone – it is a fashion item, not an essential product, and so we lose nothing from taking it out of the market.

“The Minister has the power to eliminate this hazard and save workers’ lives. This is her opportunity to do the right thing,” said Polaczuk.

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HYEFU and BPS data shows New Zealand is way off track

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and deeper cuts programmed in the future. Our economic indicators are all heading in the wrong direction, with lower economic growth and higher unemployment. The Government’s policies are hurting working people, and they’re not working for Aotearoa,” said Renney.

 “The data showed that the economy is growing more slowly than forecast just six months ago. Next year GDP growth was forecast to 1.7% at Budget, now its 0.5%.  GDP is $20bn lower by 2028. Unemployment is higher in every year of the forecast – with 20,000 more people on jobseekers support by 2026. OBEGAL absent the new tricks of accounting – never comes back into surplus across the forecast period. Net Core Crown Debt increases across the forecast period by $58bn.  

“The Budget Policy Statement signals that we are in for more cuts in the next few budgets. There is only $700m available at the next Budget to pay for everything outside health. That bakes in likely cuts to public investment and to the public sector workforce every year for the next few years. All to pay for the tax cuts that have now passed. The folly of that decision is now being uncovered.

 “These books paint a picture of a government without a plan. The only solution the Minister of Finance is planning is to double down on an already failing strategy. These are the Government’s books; responsibility shouldn’t be passed on. Working people and communities across Aotearoa will suffer if we don’t change track,” said Renney.

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NZCTU put Brooke van Velden on notice over WorkSafe cuts

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have sent an open letter to Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, following another round of devastating job cuts at WorkSafe.

“Aotearoa New Zealand’s record on workplace health and safety is costing the lives of so many workers, and instead of working to turn that record around, we have a Minister who is making decisions that will cost even more lives,” said NZCTU Acting President Rachel Mackintosh.

“WorkSafe already lost 15% of its staff in the last 12 months – 113 roles. Now the organisation will lose another 54 roles, which will critically undermine its core functions as our workplace health and safety regulator.

“Alongside these job cuts, WorkSafe have announced they are disestablishing the health team, which will undoubtedly lead to an increase in health-related harm and deaths in workplaces across the country.

“Dozens of New Zealand workers die each year as a result of workplace injuries. In addition, estimates suggest that 750-900 workers die each year from work-related occupational diseases such as asbestosis and cancers.

“This hollowing out of our health and safety regulator is deliberate. WorkSafe is being set up to fail. The Minister and her Government have an aversion to regulation, yet good regulation is essential to good health and safety and saving workers lives.

“Workers will need to issue the Minister with an improvement notice if she doesn’t start taking health and safety seriously and use her role to bring down our abysmal injury and death rates.

“This Minister is overseeing an all-out assault on working people – while gutting WorkSafe, she is leaving workers in the ditch on Holidays Act reform, undermining personal grievance claims, and threatening to weaken health and safety law. This is on top of scrapping fair pay agreements, bringing back 90-day fire at will agreements and redrafting employment law on behalf of the multinational corporation, Uber.

“Working people are sick and tired of this Minister and her extreme anti-worker agenda. It’s well past time she learnt the requirements of her role and put the health and wellbeing of workers above the interests of big business.

“We are putting Brooke van Velden on notice and saying enough is enough,” said Mackintosh.

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Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation.

“With inflation forecast at 2% by the Reserve Bank, the new minimum wage rate is an effective cut in real terms and will leave workers worse off. This is the second year in a row where this Government has made the decision to cut the Minimum wage in real terms,” said NZCTU Acting President Rachel Mackintosh.

“National promised to support New Zealanders through the cost-of-living crisis, and yet this decision will mean that the lowest income workers fall even further behind. Minimum wage Workers are now $1,206 a year worse off as a consequence of these real term wage cuts”.

“Government has a responsibility to ensure that all workers have enough to afford rent, pay the bills, put good food on the table, and buy their kids what they need. How are workers meant to keep up with rising food and rent costs when the Government is cutting their wages in real terms?

“At a time when inflation is coming down, this was an opportunity for the Government to give workers a break and ensure they get real terms pay increases.

“All New Zealand workers have the right to a liveable income to support their families – they deserve to be paid a Living Wage,” said Mackintosh.

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NZCTU open letter to Treasury on undue restrictions on restricted briefings

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Iain Rennie, CNZM
Secretary and Chief Executive to the Treasury

Dear Secretary,

Undue restrictions on restricted briefings

This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been formally invited, by the Treasury, to attend the briefing. After the CTU replied to the invitation, Treasury appears to have changed its rules for attendance. Our application to attend was then rejected.

The Treasury now states that “Representatives from peak bodies, professional bodies, unions, universities, industry bodies, industry information services, and advocacy groups, among others, would no longer be allowed to attend”. That means bodies such as Business New Zealand would not be able to attend, nor would organisations such as Local Government New Zealand, Child Poverty Action Group, Aotearoa 350, or Tax Justice Aotearoa. Alongside the CTU these are all national organisations with a strong and legitimate interest in understanding how the government is investing its resources.  

Treasury said the purpose of restricted briefings is to provide participants with time to consider materials before public release to enable more accurate reporting and to assist “in transparency and accountability to the public”. The Treasury has therefore concluded that other groups, such as the CTU, no longer have a time-sensitive need for the materials. This despite the fact that attendance by bodies such as these has been the norm for many years without incident.

We must object to this interpretation in the strongest terms. Groups – including the CTU – affected by the new guidelines regularly provide their analysis of Budget figures to their own readers, who number in the hundreds of thousands, and provide expert analysis to journalists attending the restricted briefings. Both functions assist in transparency and accountability to the public, which is the purpose of restricted briefings.

How does it promote the interests of “transparency and accountability to the public” or assist public understanding when external organisations such as Bloomberg will be able to tell foreign investors what’s in the Government books, and provide considered analysis, faster than organisations representing New Zealand workers, business, and taxpayers?

The CTU alone represents 27 Trade Unions with more than 300,000 members. They have a keen interest in understanding the financial situation of the Government – many of whose employment and income rely on the Crown Accounts. Timely analysis and communications from the CTU are essential. Could you please explain why their need for information is less important than that of financial markets?  

The lock-up is also an opportunity to engage with the Minister of Finance and the Secretary of the Treasury. To ask questions about the contents of the report, and to have answers to questions heard by media. There is no other opportunity to do that outside of this lock-up. Why should banks be able to ask the Minister questions about economic growth, but other groups find themselves shut out?

Lock-ups do not just bring analysts into a room with access to advance copy of the fiscal documents. Attendees at restricted briefings can also ask Treasury officials how complex estimates were generated. Being able to ask officials about the estimates helps analysts provide better-informed reports with fewer errors. It also means that analysts who misrepresent the figures have little excuse for their own errors.

We sympathise with Treasury’s predicament. When more people wish to attend restricted briefings than can be accommodated, it has to choose who to disappoint. But there has never been a HYEFU briefing where the room was full, and where those who attended couldn’t be seated. This is not a capacity issue.

Democracy and public scrutiny are not supported by locking social partners and non-financial institutions out of the lock-up. This is a retrograde step, which appears to have nothing to do with capacity, security, or with a desire to ensure that complex documents such as the HYEFU are communicated well to audiences across New Zealand.

The CTU strongly urges the Treasury to reconsider these guidelines and your decision to rescind our access. We look forward to a timely response to this letter.

Yours faithfully,

Rachel Mackintosh

Acting NZCTU President