Category: Unions

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Ferry report does not solve the big problem

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union has sounded a note of caution about the seaworthiness of Interislander ferries.
KiwiRail has today released a summary of a maritime assessment of the three Interislander ferries carried out by DNV, which says the ships are in reasonable condition.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the Union appreciates the efforts being made by KiwiRail, but members on the ferries had real concerns about health and safety.
“Our members crew those ferries, so if something does go wrong they are placed in danger.”
Mr Findlay says the Union is treating the conclusions of the DNV report with caution.
He says keeping the current vessels running until the end of the decade is a stop gap measure at best.
“There have been a number of technical issues with the ferries already, some with potentially very serious outcomes, and the fact remains that there are many ageing systems and components in service on the ferries.”
Mr Findlay says that KiwiRail has been put in an impossible position.
“KiwiRail doesn’t really have any choice but to soldier on with end of life vessels and push up maintenance costs and maintenance time for the ships.”
He says the main problem remains – there is no clear indication yet what the Government has planned in place of the iRex project it dumped last year.
Mr Findlay says the full cost of abandoning the iRex project is yet to be determined and would possibly wipe out any savings on new ferries and terminal infrastructure.
 

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Downer cuts show the model is broken – E tū

Source: Etu Union

A proposal by Downer Group New Zealand to reduce their power workforce by 12% should set off alarm bells for people concerned about our infrastructure.

The company, which is a major contractor responsible for implementing and maintaining energy infrastructure, is holding meetings with their workforce across the country this week to present their new proposal, which they say is in response to shareholder and investor pressure in the face of uncertain foreseeable work.

A Downer worker, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the company, says the decision is short-sighted and presents real risk to our infrastructure networks.

“We struggle to fill our stand-by rosters now as it is, which has huge implications for the standard of service we can provide,” they say.

“A smaller workforce means people waiting longer when their power goes off. It means taking longer to get to a power pole after a car accident – people could die before we get there to turn off the power.

“If there’s a serious storm, it’s all hands on deck. A smaller workforce at Downer means they’ll have to get in other contractors in that situation, who might charge double for the work. It doesn’t make sense.”

The worker says he’s worried about what these redundancies will mean for workers and their families.

“There are generations of people working in these jobs. Some depos might have an older worker, their kid, and their grandkid at the same place. Job losses on this scale will really hurt families.

“There’s usually work going somewhere, but you might have to up sticks and move somewhere you don’t know anyone. You might get worse pay and conditions. Some guys might bugger off to Australia.”

E tū Negotiation Specialist Joe Gallagher says the proposal shows the model for providing and maintaining this essential infrastructure is broken.

“More and more, we’re seeing the dangerous effects of the competitive contracting model in the delivery of services,” Joe says.

“This is a well-established workforce with a long history of looking after New Zealand’s electricity networks. Having a series of smaller contractors undercutting Downer to win the contracts results in a scattered, less cohesive approach to the delivery and maintenance of the infrastructure.

“The asset owners need to understand what it really takes to keep the lights on, and we’re worried that they are letting some immediate cost-cutting present a real risk not just to the livelihoods of the Downer workforce, but to the very core of New Zealand’s infrastructure.”

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Power to Win: The story of our Living Wage Movement – E tū

Source: Etu Union

Originally published by the Council of Trade Unions

Never have we needed to talk about power to win decent wages more than right now. With an ongoing assault on workers’ rights and conditions — the repeal of Fair Pay Agreements, massive public sector layoffs, the undermining of sick pay, a pitiful and mean-minded increase to the minimum wage — people power is needed more than ever.  

Sometimes it feels as if we are back to May 1991 and the advent of the Employment Contracts Act, courtesy of another newly-elected National government. At that time I was a new union organiser, working for the Hotel and Hospital Workers Union, that became the Service and Food Workers Union and later E tū.  I’d learnt about unions in the 1980s, as a newspaper compositor and member, activist and delegate in the Printer’s Union.

Before 1991 most workers in Aotearoa were covered by union-negotiated awards and agreements. The ECA took power from workers and their unions and handed it over to employers. Union membership plummeted and so did pay rates and conditions.

Unions looked to win back power and tried many different approaches. In 2011 SFWU reached out to the community and invited other unions, faith groups and community organisations to form a new movement committed to addressing poverty pay.  In 2012, the Living Wage Movement was launched with the goal of building community power to win the Living Wage.

The movement has been hugely successful and the lives of thousands of workers and their whānau have been transformed as a direct outcome of Living Wage campaigns — in corporates, in local and central government and in the small employers and NGOs that led the way.  The movement has changed the way we talk about wages in Aotearoa from what is lowest an employer can legally pay to what is the wage a worker and their whānau need to lead decent lives and participate in society.

Power to Win tells the story of the Living Wage Movement, from the idea in 2011, the launch in 2012  and the campaigns waged across Aotearoa to win decent wages. The story is told through the voices of workers, activists and leaders in the movement.  There are workers’ stories throughout the book — stories of workers struggling on low wages, of the courageous workers who speak out for the Living Wage, stories of campaigns across Aotearoa  and of the transforming power of the Living Wage in workers’ lives.

Power to Win is a story about the power of alliance, of joining forces with others across civil society who care about poverty wages and want to work together for change. It’s a story about what we can achieve through people power — how we form alliances with faith groups and the broader community and how we can use that power to win.

The Living Wage story is a story of power and a story of winning.  But the story isn’t over. Wherever workers struggle on poverty pay rates we need to build power to win. That story goes on.

Author: Lyndy McIntye. Lyndy is an E tū Life Member and an Associate Fellow of NZEI Te Riu Roa. She has worked for a range of unions in Aotearoa and briefly in Australia since 1990. In 2015 she took up the role of community organiser in the Living Wage Movement, until 2020 when she began to write Power to Win. Power to Win can be ordered online through Nationwide Books.

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19 organisations send Brooke van Velden open letter calling for engineered stone ban

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Unions, public health experts and health and safety specialists have today released an open letter sent to Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden calling on the Government to follow Australia’s world-leading example and ban the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone products.

Australia’s ban, which came into effect 1 July 2024, was put in place following broad consultation, extensive analysis, and is based on scientific evidence that indicated engineered stone workers exposed to silica dust are disproportionately diagnosed with accelerated silicosis – a fatal lung disease.

“We are calling on Brooke van Velden to listen to the evidence and save workers’ lives by banning engineered stone in Aotearoa New Zealand,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“Dubbed the modern-day asbestos, the evidence of the harm caused by silica dust is overwhelming. It is clear that a ban on engineered stone is the only option.

“We have continued to warn the Minister that engineered stone needs to be banned. We are pleased to be joining with 18 other organisations to reiterate the urgency of this demand.

“There is no level of safe exposure to silica dust, and it can be fatal. Workers are developing symptoms at an accelerated rate, and at a much younger age than other occupational respiratory diseases. Silicosis is an incurable disease, but the exposure is preventable.

“We want Aotearoa to replicate the regulatory settings adopted in Australia to give workers, businesses, and the wider public the certainty that worker health will be prioritised.

“Work-related health issues kill between 750 and 900 workers each year, and hospitalise a further 5000-6000 workers. It is critical that we do everything we can to protect workers from the impact of work on health.

“Everyone has the right to expect a safe workplace and to be able to come home safely to their family at the end of every day.

“There is simply no need for engineered stone. It is a fashion product and there are safe alternatives on the market. Workers’ lives shouldn’t be traded off for a trendy kitchen,” said Wagstaff.

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Job cuts will severely compromise ACC services

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is dismayed at the announcement that there will be 300 jobs cut at ACC.

“There is no doubt that such sweeping job cuts will severely compromise ACC’s ability to essential deliver services that New Zealanders rely on,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“These job losses will lead to less reliable services, undermining ACC’s ability to support people in need. It will now be much harder for people to access their entitlements and get the help they need to recover from injuries.

“It is deeply worrying that there are significant cuts to the Injury Prevention teams, which are focused on ensuring accidents and injuries don’t happen in the first place. Given that WorkSafe has also pulled back from injury prevention due to lack of funding, there will now be no agency leading on preventing workplace injuries.

“Working people deserve better than this. Everyone has the right to expect a safe workplace.

“The Government’s pursuit of tax cuts at whatever cost has directly led to the gutting of the public service, which will cause irreparable harm to New Zealanders who rely on timely and efficient services,” said Wagstaff.

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Rushed consultation on charter schools shows Government’s complete disconnect from communities

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“The legislation contains far-reaching changes which have very significant implications for school communities. The secrecy around this legislation and the speed at which it is being pushed through shows a disconnect with the realities of busy parents and communities. All families are working incredibly hard during the cost of living crisis, it’s a huge ask to then drop everything to engage in this consultation – but the decisions being made are incredibly important.

“This time around the legislation will not only enable existing local state schools to convert to charter schools, it will also enable the Minister to order an existing state school to convert, and it will enable any single person in the community to propose converting a local state school to a charter school.

“What happens if parents don’t want to send their children to a converted charter school or students don’t want to attend such a school– what rights do they have? Where are the rights of school communities in all of this?”

The proposed legislation also contains drastic changes to the employment conditions of teachers employed at a school that converts to a charter school. “The legislation proposes to completely override teachers’current rights both in employment law and their collective agreement – this is a profound change that, along with the other changes, deserves a decent amount of scrutiny.

“Rather than fast tracking the consultation process, the Government should be rolling out a comprehensive programme letting school communities know what is in store and encouraging them to have their say.”

The Education and Training Amendment Bill, which provides the framework to establish charter schools, had its first reading under urgency today and has been referred to the education and workforce select committee. The select committee has been instructed to report back in early September, allowing approximately eight weeks for the written and oral submission process.

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Gisborne fishing tragedy

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union has offered its sympathy and support to family and friends and the Gisborne community following the death of three local fishermen.

Police have confirmed three people were found deceased overnight on the Mahia Peninsula coastline.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says it appears the community and the rescue teams made every effort they could in very difficult weather conditions to find and help the fishermen.

“This is a sad reminder of the dangers of the New Zealand maritime environment.”

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Axing of Pay Equity Taskforce will entrench inequities for working women

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is deeply disappointed by confirmation of the Public Service Commission that the Pay Equity Taskforce will be disestablished.

“The disestablishment of the Pay Equity Taskforce will result in gender and ethnic pay disparities persisting as pay equity claims go unaddressed,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“It sends a message that the Government is washing its hands of responsibility for ensuring that working women aren’t being discriminated against in their pay. This will mean that government abandons its role as a leader on pay equity.

“Government has an obligation to ensure that all communities are free from discrimination, paid fairly and have good incomes. That means addressing pay equity claims as a matter of urgency.

“The Taskforce was already understaffed and claims already taking too long. This decision will greatly compound the problem and undermine the progress toward pay equity in the public sector.

“The Taskforce is still needed. There are numerous claims still unresolved, and all resolved claims still need to be reviewed regularly, which means there must be a continued role for government.

“Everyone deserves good work that pays well, and that means we must not tolerate anyone being paid less because they work in industries that have been historically undervalued by virtue of being female dominated,” said Wagstaff.

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Charter schools legislation contains unpleasant surprises

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“We are shocked to see it includes legislating completely over teachers’ rights under employment law and their own employment agreement.”

Usually if public schools merge or close, teachers can access support to relocate to other schools, or are eligible for redundancy type provisions. However, this legislation proposes that if a public school converts to a charter school, then teachers, principals, and all school employees would be forced to either transfer to the new charter school – or resign.

This is despite charter schools having stark differences to state schools. For example, charter schools will not be required to employ trained and registered teachers or teach the New Zealand Curriculum or provide a New Zealand qualification. 

“Effectively the Government is seeking to strong-arm teachers into charter schools. Associate Education Minister David Seymour has said repeatedly that teachers will want to teach in charter schools. Why then remove the provisions that protect teachers’ choice to opt out of a conversion with dignity and keep our valuable teachers in the state school teaching workforce?”

Chris Abercrombie said there was no proof that charter schools were successful when they were introduced last time – and the fact that all of them, bar one, have been reintegrated into the state school system showed they were an unnecessary experiment.

“There is nothing charter schools claim to do that can’t be done in a local state school, given the resources and political commitment. The only thing charter schools have been proven to do is to open the door to the privatisation of our education system by enabling businesses to come in and run schools for a profit.

“New Zealanders want their local schools to be community assets, run by local representatives – not commercial conglomerates. The $153 million being poured into the charter school experiment could – and should – be put to far better use in our local state schools.”

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NZCTU condemns contractor reform as fundamental attack on workers’ rights

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is condemning a proposed change to employment law as a deplorable attack on workers’ rights.

Minister for Workplace Relations, Brooke van Velden, has instructed her officials to begin work on preventing workers misclassified as contractors from challenging their employment status in the courts.

“The Minister is consulting on removing fundamental employee rights, such as a minimum wage, annual leave, rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. That she even considers these changes worthy of consultation is deplorable,” said Wagstaff.

“If implemented, these changes represent the biggest attack on workers’ rights since the early 1990s and would open the floodgates to worker exploitation across Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Blocking workers from challenging their employment status in court will allow unscrupulous employers to circumvent employment law by hiring people as contractors, without fear of challenge.

“This could completely change the nature of employment. Workers in industries that currently seem safe from being engaged as contractors, would be at risk if these changes go through.

“The Minister wants to block vulnerable workers from even being able to have their case heard. This is not only unethical, but also legally unworkable.

“The NZCTU totally oppose any attempt by government to undermine access to justice for working people. Everyone, regardless of employment status, deserves good work – work that is well-paid, safe and secure and contributes to a meaningful and fulfilling life,” said Wagstaff.