The Unionist, Issue 94, Nov 30 2007

The Unionist this week reports on the work rights at stake in Australian elections and recent improvements for New Zealand workers. 

Australian voters give unfair workplace laws the boot

The biggest attack on the work rights of Australians starting coming to an end on Saturday, as Australians voted out the Howard government, and its ‘WorkChoices’ laws.

The union movement played a critical role in the campaign to get rid of the unfair workplace laws, through their ‘Your Rights At Work – Worth Fighting For’ campaign.  The campaign involved massive levels of union activism for two years, and Rights At Work community coordinators in 22 marginal seats. 

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Sharan Burrow said the election was a referendum on industrial relations and WorkChoices had clearly been a major vote shifter.

“The Australian people have said that they want their rights at work protected and respected.”

Exit polling for the Australian Council of Trade Unions found that industrial relations was among the most important issues for almost eight out of ten Labor voters.

CTU president Helen Kelly said on Sunday that in voting out the Howard government, Australian workers and their families sent a strong signal that their rights at work were not up for grabs.

“Work Choices was an unprecedented attack on the basic conditions of working Australians. The most obscene aspect of the law was the complete removal of unfair dismissal rights for millions of Australian workers,” she said.

“The law striped back many other terms and conditions and was hugely unpopular among working Australians.”

The result in Australia sent a warning to any New Zealand political party wanting to do away with New Zealanders’ right to a fair hearing at work, Helen Kelly said.

“Last year a National party bill aimed to remove all rights of appeal against unfair dismissal in the first 90 days, and would have given employers the right to sack workers in this country for any reason too. The proposal prompted a massive union campaign in New Zealand to beat the bill.”

Work rights improving on this side of the Tasman

Meanwhile work rights were improving on this side of the Tasman, with a new law giving workers with caring responsibilities the right to request flexible working hours.

Parliament last week passed the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Bill.  Only Act and National opposed the move.

The bill was an excellent step towards building a culture that recognises workers' responsibilities outside of the workplace, CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said last week.

“93% of 4,475 parents recently surveyed by the EEO Trust identified flexible working as the change that they would most like to see in workplaces.  New Zealanders are increasingly saying the time has come for it.”

“Legislation is not in itself the only solution, but it does create a climate and culture of acceptance about the need for employer openness to requests - as well as a transparent process for employers to refuse requests.”

Carol Beaumont said unions would continue to call for all workers to have the right to request flexible work and to improve work-life balance provisions through collective bargaining.

In brief

* Caritas have released a new report “Delivering the Goods”, detailing the findings of a survey on children delivering circulars and newspapers to household letterboxes.  

The CTU welcomed the report, and said it raised a number of issues that needed debating and resolving.  These included minimum pay and a minimum age to work, what if any restrictions there should be on the type of work and number of hours, and what was necessary to ratify important international agreements about the employment of young people.

“Unions have been organising young workers to be aware of and improve their rights, including recent organising around youth rates and the Komiti Pasefika kpy.co.nz young work rights campaign.  The report has been a welcome contribution to focusing everyone’s attention on the work rights of young people,” Carol Beaumont said.

* The CTU has criticised Health Care Providers NZ for taking court action against a contractual requirement for aged care providers to promote collective bargaining as a means to deliver money from Budget 2007 to aged care workers.

“HCPNZ are spending all this money and effort on a judicial review to prevent the lowest paid workers in New Zealand getting the rightful increase that was promised to them by the Government,” Helen Kelly said.

“The increase in this year’s budget is the biggest single one-off increase targeting aged workers in the last 20 years.  It has been a huge boost to the sector, and fortunately many providers have welcomed the funding increases and are working constructively with unions to put in place collective agreements that will provide a framework to build up skills, training and qualification levels and sustainability in the sector.”

* The CTU was pleased that one of its main recommendations on improving the KiwiSaver Bill had been picked up, in a select committee report back this month.  Under transitional provisions in the KiwiSaver Bill, employers and employees needed to have agreed to a 2+2 deal (2% from both the employer and worker) by April 2008.  This has now been extended until April 2010.

“The CTU would have preferred it if the Select Committee had instead provided for a permanent ability for workers to opt for a 2% minimum contribution. But our second preference was to extend the period to agree to the 2+2 type of deals,” CTU Economist Peter Conway said.

This alternative means that workers on low incomes would not have to pay a 4% contribution until 2011.

Events Calendar

Unions Local

Unions Tauranga
Mon Dec 10, 4pm.
Seafarers Centre, Hull Rd, Mt Maunganui. 
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Unions Canterbury
Thurs Dec 13, 4.30pm (Xmas drinks)
TUC, 199 Armagh Street, Christchurch.
Karena.Brown@epmu.org.nz

Unions Gisborne
Thur Dec 13, 4.30pm.
Trades & Labour Hall, Corner Customhouse St. & Childers Rd.
Colleen.Ryan@ndu.org.nz

Unions Wanganui BBQ
To celebrate the foundation of Unions Wanganui
Friday 14 December, 4.30pm
Unity Centre, Bell St (all members welcome)
Kaye.Hearfield@ndu.org.nz / dave.feickert@gmail.com

Unions Otago Christmas event
Monday 17th December 2007,  4.30pm – 6.30 pm
Duke of Wellington , Queens Gardens, Dunedin.
glendaa@nzno.org.nz  

Other events and campaigns
 
Trade Union History Project invites you to the inaugural Rona Bailey Memorial Lecture, given by Robert Reid, National Distribution Union president. Friday 30 Nov, 6pm (drinks and nibbles from 5.30pm).  NZ Drama School (Toi Whakaari), 11 Huchison Road, Newtown.  Gold coin entry. Followed by party to celebrate the 20th birthday of the TUHP. More info: www.tuhp.org.nz.

Unions Wellington
First Friday Drinks
The regular monthly get together
After work
Friday Dec 7th
Brix Bar
Abel Tasman Hotel
Cnr.Willis & Dixon Streets

CTU Meetings, training

CTU Climate Change Group
Friday 14th December , 10 am to 1 pm,
CTU, 7th Floor, Education House, Willis Street, Wellington.
peterc@nzctu.org.nz

CTU Legal Issues Meeting
Wednesday 12 December , 2 – 4.30 p.m.
CTU, 7th Floor, Education House, Willis Street, Wellington.
peterc@nzctu.org.nz

Workplace Productivity Challenge Workshop

The 2008 draft programme will be circulated with other CTU education programmes soon. The first course in 2008 will be in Auckland and already has a waiting list.
Register your interest:
If you are keen to attend a workshop in 2008, please tell us your name and location and details of how to contact you Email Sandy - productivity@nzctu.org.nz
There is no charge to attend the Productivity Challenge.
Financial assistance is available to help with travel, wage reimbursement (if not on EREL or other leave) and other associated costs. Check out the WPEP website for more information: http://union.org.nz/workplaceproductivity