The Unionist, Issue 57, Sept 22 2006

Locked out distribution workers won pay parity by standing strong in their unions and refusing to be bullied by the aggressive tactics of their employer, writes the Unionist this week.  We also report on the Youth Union Movement camp and new Pay and Employment Equity resources on the CTU website, as well as a look ahead at CTU meetings, training and other campaign events in the week ahead.

Either read on, or download a printable version here (PDF file, 98 kb) 

Distribution Workers Standing Together To Win

“Yesterday’s settlement achieving pay parity for workers at supermarket distribution centres in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch is a victory for ordinary working people over a large overseas employer,” CTU president Ross Wilson said. 

“Progressive Enterprises’ aggressive strategy of locking out the workers until they submitted failed because of the huge level of public support that these workers received.”

That street collectors were able to raise such significant amounts of money for the locked out workers and their families was due directly to the high public awareness and support for the workers and their unions, Ross Wilson said.

“The CTU office was also receiving unsolicited donations daily.  Worksite collections, donations from New Zealand and overseas unions, raffles, church and street collections enabled them to stay strong with their just claim for wage parity across the four distribution centres.”

“It should be of serious concern to every New Zealander, and corporate employer, that this Australian company’s behaviour in this dispute has been characterised by a ruthlessness and indifference to its staff which we have not seen in New Zealand in recent history.”

“It has also signalled the brutality of the new Australian industrial relations approach, and what we could be experiencing under a Brash Government which is on record as supporting the Howard Government legislation.”

YUM Meeting Over The Weekend

This year’s Youth Union Movement camp is now underway in Northland, where the campaign to end youth rates will be firmly on the agenda.

Young unionists are meeting at Kotare Trust in Wellsford today, Saturday and Sunday, at the biennial YUM camp.

The campaign to eliminate youth rates will be a major focus of the camp, as will planning YUM actions in the year to come.

YUM recently elected two Auckland co-convenors Tom Buckely (Unite) and Ingrid Beckers (NDU), to work with Wellington co-convenor Hina Short (PSA).

Updated Pay & Employment Equity Resource

The updated training manual for the course “Reviews and Response Planning for Unions “ is now available online.

The manual includes information on Pay and Employment Equity issues, Pay and Employment Equity reviews, and is a useful guide for union organisers, educators and officials.

Printed copies of the manual are available from the NZCTU - phone 04 385 1334, or email nikkib@nzctu.org.nz.  The online file can be accesssed from the CTU’s PaEE web page: www.union.org.nz/campaigns/payequity.html

Weekly Events Listing

Unions Local

Unions Northland
Tue Sept 26, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Unions Manawatu
Fri Sept 29, 3pm.
PSA House, 41-47 King St,
Palmerston North
john.shennan@psa.org.nz

Other Events and Campaigns

Party at Helen’s Place!
Monday, 25 September 2006
3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Radical Youth
Rally and party to pressure Labour to support the Bill to end Youth Rates and to show that we will not tolerate this discrimination against young people.  All welcome. Bring food, music, signs, whatever. Just come so we can get rid of Youth Rates. Location:
Helen Clark’s electorate office, 65 Sandringham Rd, Kingsland (opp. Eden Park), Auckland
www.radicalyouth.org.nz

“FRONT FOOT” Workers Charter Public Meeting
Tuesday,September 26th at the Wellington Public Library, 6pm.
For decades workers have been pushed on to the back foot. Now union campaigns like SUPER SIZE MY  PAY (fast food), CLEAN START (cleaners) and SHELF RESPECT (supermarkets) are moving back on the FRONT FOOT. Come along to this public meeting and hear activists from these campaigns speak about what’s been achieved and what more needs to be done.  Contact Grant - 021-053-2973.

Clean Start - Auckland
Cleaners and community members are holding a meeting at 2pm on Wednesday 27th September at the Pukapuka Community Hall in Mangere (27 Canning Road) to discuss how we can mark Anti-Poverty Day in 2006.  Contact: Kirsty McCully, (09) 375 2687, kirsty.mccully@sfwu.org.nz
 
Wellington Workers Education Assn.  “Democracy & Monarchy in Tonga”
Mon, Sept 25, 12:05 pm
Flr 2, Betty Campbell Cntr Harbour City Tower
Panama Street, Wgtn

CTU Meetings and Training

‘Embedding Pay and Employment Equity into Collective Bargaining’
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

Workplace Productivity Challenge: Exploring Workplace Productivity Issues.  Seminars are as follows

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    

Wed 8 November, 9am-4.30
Te Manawa Museum, 396 Main Street, Palmerston North sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 27

Wed 15 November, 9am-4.30
St Johns Church, Cnr Willis & Dixon Streets, Wellington sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 15
Other events and campaigns

Insight Documentary

Rachel Graham asks whether employment contracts favour employees too much, leading to hundreds of unnecessary personal grievance cases.  Employer groups say a growing number of businesses are so disillusioned with the disputes system they will do anything to avoid getting dragged into what they see as a costly and unbalanced process.  Should employment law be rebalanced?
- Source: Radio New Zealand.  Documentary plays Sunday 8.05am, repeated Monday evening 9.05pm

Contact

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