Category: Employment Issues

Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Kiwirail and union members show how good collective bargaining can be

Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sam Huggard extended his congratulations to Kiwirail and Rail and Maritime Union (RMTU) members today for reaching a constructive and progressive deal yesterday to lift pay and work in partnership. Mr Huggard says this deal disproves recent scaremongering by employers like the Ports of Tauranga that Multi Employer Collective Agreements hamper business.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Expertise of clinicians needs to be valued in health sector

The Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sam Huggard said today that unions were supporting a public health system that listened to and valued the advice of clinicians, in response to the Association of Salaried Medical Specialist’s concerns about our pathology services.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: What confidence can we have in “business confidence”?

‘Business confidence’ is falling and we should be very concerned, we are told. But is ‘business confidence’ really falling and is it anything more than an opinion poll of some chief executives as to what they think of the Government of the day, or their impression (which may not be any more accurate than yours or mine) of where the economy is going?

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Budget health analysis shows reverse in downwards trend, but much more needed

Council of Trade Unions Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Director of Policy Lyndon Keene today jointly released detailed analysis of the 2018/2019 health budget which shows $2.5 billion would need to be put in to the next Government budget to both meet that year’s needs and restore funding to 2009/2010 levels.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: The Budget: bleeding stopped, patient’s condition still serious

In memoriam: This is the 200th CTU Economic Bulletin. It was founded by my predecessor, Peter Conway, CTU economist and then CTU Secretary, who wrote the first 101 issues. He died just three years ago, on 9 June 2015. We still miss his wisdom, values, activism, music and friendship.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Holidays Act changes to be worked through between unions, business and Government

The Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff said today that he was looking forward to working with business and Government on a review of the Holidays Act to ensure working people are fully and properly paid what they legally earn.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Payroll needs to recognise that parenting is skilled work too

The Council of Trade Unions said that new research released this morning by public policy researchers at Motu shows parenthood is undervalued by employers as skilled but unpaid work, with mothers being impacted by a lifelong ‘parenthood penalty’. Secretary Sam Huggard said the research illustrates how undervaluing what is perceived as unpaid ‘women’s work’ has an interaction with paid work, and strongly contributes to the gender pay gap.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Government facing over two and a half billion health funding gap

New figures released today by Council of Trade Unions Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Director of Policy Lyndon Keene show the health funding gap since 2009/2010 has grown to $2.7 billion. This amount would be needed in Thursday’s Budget to fund services to the same level they were supported in 2010, and pay for new initiatives.

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Petroleum industry needs to get on board with a just transition

The Council of Trade Unions said today that it was heartened by yesterday’s announcement from the Government of a just transition for those in the oil and gas industries, but disappointed that the petroleum industry appears unwilling to face facts. CTU Secretary Sam Huggard said that putting the interests of working people first in the inevitable move to a sustainable economy was more important than playing politics with their future.

“The whole point of a just transition is that actually, we know change is coming, it’s inevitable, and we are going to create high-paying sustainable jobs that match people’s skills. You’d almost think from the reaction from the oil and gas industry that the rug was being pulled out from under working people overnight. The Government and the union movement have been very clear that a transition plan, particularly for affected regions is the right way to go.”

“Rather than scaremongering about job losses, we’re ready to look to the future for regions like Taranaki and get on with investing in new technology, new industries, and new jobs for those who have been reliant on oil and gas. The fossil fuel lobby knows full well that it’s a sunset industry, and they should be more honest about what they can provide for regional economies. We would welcome them showing a bit of care for the people that work for them by talking to us about what they can do to support a just transition too.”

CTU blog from Sam Huggard on what a just transition would look like: 

www.together.org.nz/the_urgency_of_a_just_transition_for_climate

To read the CTU policy paper on a just transition:

www.union.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/JustTransition.pdf

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Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: No surprise that Kiwis value our teachers and support a better deal for them

The Council of Trade Unions said today that new research published by NZEI Te Riu Roa and the PPTA that 83 percent of Kiwis think teachers need a pay rise is in line with feedback from union membership on the value of our public services and the people working in them. CTU President Richard Wagstaff said that consistent feedback over the last decade shows New Zealanders know reinvestment in our schools, hospitals and other social capital is due to keep us healthy and happy.

“New Zealanders value a society where everyone has a fair go, starting with a good education led by skilled and appropriately resourced teachers,” he said. The monetary value we place on the people who protect our social capital through their work in education, for example, has fallen over time relative to the pay of chief executives and the cost of living. It’s playing out in difficulty attracting and retaining people to the public service, like the short staffing in classrooms around the country.”

“I think we all instinctively know that in order to create a healthy and functioning society, the kind we can be proud of, we need to treat our social institutions like public education with respect. Given the strong feeling of New Zealanders about directing better support towards teachers and children, the political mandate to repair years of education underfunding is assured.”

Link to the research: 

www.nzei.org.nz/UploadedFiles/Media/NZEI_Teachers_Report_FINAL.pdf

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