The Unionist, Issue 64, November 17 2006

Aussie unions planning to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground in latest phase of opposition to the Howard Industrial Relations agenda, writes the Unionist this week.

Either read on, or download a printable version here (PDF file, 102 kb).

Australian IR Campaign Continues

Aussie unions planning to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground in latest phase of opposition  to the Howard Industrial Relations agenda.

Workers and families in Australia will fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 30 as part of a nation-wide day of protest against the Federal Government’s industrial relations laws.

The Howard government last year introduced massive changes to Australian workplaces with their ‘WorkChoices’ legislation, which stripped back many basic rights for workers.

These include the removal of unfair dismissal laws for millions of workers and changes making it easier for employers to push workers onto individual contracts, cut penalty rates, overtime pay, holiday loadings, public holidays, redundancy pay and work allowances.  The new laws made many ordinary union activities illegal and changed the way minimum wages are set to make them lower.

Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes will play at the MCG event, which starts at 8am Australian time, and will be simulcast around Australia to hundreds of pubs, clubs and rallies.

Meanwhile earlier this week the Australian government announced more changes to the industrial relations legislation, which will further remove the rights of workers.

The new proposals include providing employers with an extensive right to stand down workers at any time there is a downturn in business or during industrial action. This could lead to many workers being stood down without pay during the Christmas period and will strengthen the hand of employers during industrial disputes, the ACTU said this week.

NZCTU president Ross Wilson said that New Zealand workers should keep a watching eye on the Australian changes, and not take their rights at work for granted.

“At the last election Don Brash promised workers to abolish time and half for working on public holidays, throw up the fourth week of annual leave for negotiation and do away with the highly successful network of workplace health and safety reps.”

National’s recent attempt to take away the rights of workers in the first 90 days on the job was further indication of what workers could expect under National, he said.

Working families across the Tasman will soon have the chance to throw out their government - next year is election year in Australia.

Maori Unionist Honoured

Public Service Association kaumatua Kiwhare Mihaka recived a special award this week in recognition of his contributuion to Maori workers and unionism.

Kiwhare, who is Te Arawa, was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the PSA at their congress in Wellington on Wednesday.

He lives in Dunedin and works at Inland Revenue Department.  He is also kaumatua of the CTU.

Kiwhare has been a union member since 1957 and he has been a PSA delegate at the IRD since 1990.

Speaking at the conference on Wednesday this week, PSA President Keith Gutsell said “Kiwhare has made a significant contribution to the New Zealand union movement through both the Council of Trade Unions and the PSA.” 

“The awarding of this life membership reflects Kiwhare’s commitment to Maori, to workers and to the New Zealand union movement.  This life membership is a tribute to Kiwhare’s contribution to the lives of New Zealand workers.”

Weekly Events Calendar

Unions Local

Unions Wellington
Mon Nov 20, 5:00 p.m.
CTU, Level 7, Education House, 178 Willis St., Welington
pbolster@anet.co.nz

Unions Manawatu
Fri Nov 24, 3pm.
PSA House, 41-47 King St,
Palmerston North
john.shennan@psa.org.nz

Unions Northland
Tue Nov 28, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Other events and campaigns

Wellington Workers Education Asociation Forum
Pat Bolster, Unions Wellington, speaks on “The People, Parliament & Power”
12:10 - 1:00 Monday Nov 20th
Betty Campbell Centre, 2nd Floor,
Harbour City Tower, Panama St., City

Summit on Resourcing for Quality Public Education
Quality Public Education Coalition Wednesday November 22nd, tea and coffee from 9.30am, starts 10am.
St Columba Centre, Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.    
Panel speakers include Irene Cooper (NZEI), Debbie Te Whaiti (PPTA), Sharon Stevens (ASTE), Nigel Haworth (AUS), Kitea Tipuna (TIASA), Ivan Snook, Liz Gordon and others.
www.qpec.org.nz.

Think & Drink - Akld and Wellington. Speaker: Kris Rondeau
AKLD: Thursday November 30, 4 -7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road. RSVP: karenn@nzctu.org.nz
WGTN: Wednesday 29th November, 5-7pm, NZCTU Boardroom, 7th Floor, Education House, 178 Willis Street.
Guest speaker - Kris Rondeau, Activist and workplace leader in the campaign to unionise Harvard.
Kris Rondeau and her fellow activists employed a new organising strategy to unionise Harvard University in the US. Believing that standard organising approaches are often contrary to ‘women’s ways of organising’, Kris rejects the idea that organising should centre on arousing anger and be solely focussed on ‘issues’, believing instead that organising should be based upon establishing relationships, common values, and building staff communities. This type of organising, known as ‘Relational Organising’, is being seen within the labour movement as an alternative to the more traditional ‘Issues-based Organising’.

CTU Meetings, Training

PaEE Training
CTU short training sessions for union organisers, educators, negotiators and senior delegates participating in pay and employment equity reviews, focusing on the pay investigation and remedial pay settlement aspects of the reviews.
ChCh: Thurs 30 Nov, 11-2pm, NZEI, 199 Armagh St.
Akld: Fri 8 December 1-4pm, NZNO, Symonds St.
Contact: nikkib@nzctu.org.nz

YUM video conference.
4.30pm, Friday 17 Nov
Wellington- PSA House Aurora Tce
Auckland- PSA House, beside Trades Hall on Gt North Rd
erinp@nzctu.org.nz

Working For Families
Breakfast Meeting on Working for Families – aimed at organisers and lead delegates to provide information and resources for worksites, about accessing WFF entitlements.
Wellington: November 29th, 8am -9am, CTU, Level 7, Education House, 178 Willis St., Welington.  RSVP Ed Goode edwardg@nzctu.org.nz before 23rd November.
Hamilton: 6 December, 7.15 – 8.45am, Waikato Trade Union Centre.  RSVP required by 29 November 2006 to waikatotuc@xtra.co.nz

Wellington CTU-Government Forum
The CTU-Government Forum provides union delegates with an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and key Ministers to debate policy issues of importance to people in the workplace. 
Tue 5 December, 4.30pm-9.30pm
Overseas Terminal, Chaffers Marina, Wellington
Contact: andrewc@nzctu.org.nz

Contact

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