The Unionist, Issue 54, 25 August 2006

A relationship agreement between the CTU and the Runanga, the 90 Days Bill, progressing the low wages campaign and social partnership initiatives were among the items discussed at a quarterly meeting of the National Affiliates Council in Wellington yesterday, writes The Unionist this week.

Either read on, or download a printable version here (PDF file, 46 kb).

CTU National Council Meets This Week

A relationship agreement between the CTU and the Runanga, the 90 Days Bill, progressing the low wages campaign and social partnership initiatives were among the items discussed at a quarterly meeting of the National Affiliates Council in Wellington yesterday.

Unity, solidarity and respect were the underlying principles behind the signing yesterday of the Te Ture Whakawhanaungatanga / Relationship Agreement between Te Runanga o Nga Kaimahi Maori and the National Affiliates Council of the CTU Te Kauae Kaimahi.

“The agreement is the result of hard work, and an underlying commitment to unity and shared purpose in the movement between the Runanga and the Council,” CTU Vice President Maori Sharon Clair said.

“The goal of the agreement was to reflect the Treaty of Waitangi partnership relationship in our work as a union movement, as well as defining the role of the Vice President Maori and the Runanga itself,” CTU president Ross Wilson said.

“Our constitution has recognised the Treaty of Waitangi for some years, and this agreement was an important step in actually putting this recognition into practice.”

Yesterday’s meeting came after the large union rally in Auckland against National’s 90 Days No Rights Bill, which coincided with the Maori party’s announcement that they would no longer continue to support the Bill.  Their decision this week means that the Bill now does not have enough support to continue, next time it is voted on in Parliament.

The meeting acknowledged the campaign focus over the past four months on the National Party’s attacks on the rights of workers, and said that the Bill needed to be decisively defeated.  The meeting discussed the need to return attention to the low wages campaign overall, and within that the campaign to scrap youth rates for 16 and 17 year olds.

The Council also reaffirmed its support for a Buy Kiwi Made campaign that focused genuinely on supporting local jobs and manufacturing.

Other issues discussed at the meeting were progressing social partnership goals, as part of the CTU’s wider advocacy for an investment approach to build a high wage, high skill, quality economy; an update on CTU work in the previous three months; reports from industry sector groups and updates from the Runanga and other CTU representative structures – Out at Work, Women’s Council, YUM and Komiti Pasefika.

Kiwisaver was also discussed at the meeting, on the same day that the government announced changes to the scheme, including allowing for employer contributions to a worker’s Kiwisaver account to be tax free up to a certain amount.

Events Calendar

Unions Local

Unions Northland
Tue Aug 29, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Other Events and Campaigns

SuperSizeMyPay.Com - Akld
McFight Night – Every Friday Night.  5-6.30pm.
Pt Chev McDonalds, Gt Nth Rd, Auckland (09) 845-2132,
help@unite.org.nz

Shelfrespect.org Pickets:
Wellington
11am, Sat 26 August
Picket at Countdown Porirua
Auckland
12 noon, Sat 26 August
Supermarket workers will join a community rally with pacific island music at the Mangere distribution centre, 70 Favona Rd at 12 noon, Saturday 26th of August.
Christchurch
1pm, Sun 27 Aug
Picket Columbo St Countdown

CTU Meetings, Training

Unions at Work:  Cross Union Delegate Seminar - Whangarei
Thur Sep 7, 9am-4.30pm
The Barge Showground Event Centre, State Highway 14, Maunu, Whangarei karenn@nzctu.org.nz by Aug 28

Advanced Pacific Workers Fono
Thur 14 Sept, 9.00am – 4.30pm
Meeting Room 1, 2nd Floor, AMI Building, Cnr Osterley Way & Ronwood Avenue, Manukau, Auckland.
karenn@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 4

Young Workers and Unions -
National Youth Activist Camp
Fri 22- Sun 24 Sept, all day.
Kotare Trust, Wellsford
erinp@nzctu.org.nz

One-Day Health and Safety Rep Training for Union Officials
Thur Sept 28, 9.00am to 4.30pm
6th floor, PSA House, 11 Aurora Terrace (off The Terrace), Wellington
karenf@nzctu.org.nz

Registration is now open for a two-day training workshop on ‘Embedding Pay and Employment Equity into Collective Bargaining’ run by the CTU.
This training is intended for union organisers, educators, negotiators and senior delegates who would like to explore how pay and employment equity can be integrated into organising and/or bargaining.  The session will follow on from the earlier Pay and Employment Equity training that you attended, but attendance at the earlier workshop is not a pre-requisite for attending this one.
Dates are:
Wellington 26 & 27 September (Tuesday/Wednesday).  Christchurch 10 & 11 October (Tuesday/Wednesday). Auckland 16 & 17 October (Monday/Tuesday).
Registration for the Wellington training closes on Friday 15th September - contact Nikki Burrows on
nikkib@nzctu.org.nz or (04) 385 1334 xtn 840

NZCTU Organising Centre presents
Change to Win Presentation
A project by USA’s largest unions which aims to unionise the service sector and immigrant workers. The project presents a real challenge to traditional union approaches, entrenched wealth and local, regional and national parochialism.
By Laila Harre - Nat Sec NDU
14 september 2006, 4pm to 7pm
Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn WWRC Bar open & Nibbles provided RSVP to Karen at karenn@nzctu.org.nz

Workplace Productivity Challenge: Exploring Workplace Productivity Issues.  Seminars are as follows:
Wed 27 Sept, 9am-4.30
St Johns Church, Cnr Willis & Dixon Streets, Wellington
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 15

Wed 4 October, 9am-4.30
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 22

Thurs 5 October, 9am-4.30
AMI Building, 2nd Floor
Cnr Ronwood Ave/Osterley Way
Manukau
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 22

Wed 11 October, 9am-4.30
Edgar Sports Centre
Cnr Portsmouth Drive and Midland Street, Dunedin
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 29

Thurs 12 October, 9am-4.30
EPMU, 298 Cashell Street, Christchurch
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 29

Thurs 19t October, 9am-4.30
St Columba’s Centre, 40 Vermont Street,
Ponsonby, Auckland Central
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 6

Thurs 2 November, 9am-4.30
A’fare, Lower Dent Street, Whangarei
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 20

Contact

If you have any information about upcoming CTU events please contact:
Sam Huggard - (04) 802 3817, email: samh@nzctu.org.nz