April, 2003

The Council of Trade Unions today called on Carter Holt Harvey to return to the bargaining table with striking Kinleith workers and their union, EPMU.

"It's hard to see any sense in a dispute which Carter's claims is about changing workplace culture and it results in the workforce being on a protracted strike,' said Paul Goulter, CTU secretary.

Workers around the world are mobilising to demand respect tomorrow on International Workers Day - May 1.

"Workers tomorrow and over the next few days are celebrating the achievements of the trade union movement and calling for greater respect for workers' rights," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.

The Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today welcomed Government's plans to hold a forum to revitalise employer based retirement saving schemes."There are many barriers to workplace schemes," said Ross Wilson.

"Changing the prospectus requirements, reducing tax rates on employer contributions, and getting decent rates of pay so that workers can afford retirement savings would be a start to breaking down these barriers."

Ross Wilson said that much greater resources should be put into education about retirement savings and promotion in the workplace to ensure workers got the opportunity for independent advice on retirement savings options.

"For much of the 1990s, some employers promoted concepts such as 'total remuneration' which removed separate payments for retirement savings and other essential additions to base pay," he said.

"This, combined with a range of other factors, undermined workplace retirement savings schemes which now only apply to fifteen percent of workers in New Zealand."

"Business representative groups using half page ads in today's daily papers to attack the Land Transport Management Bill are way off track," said Council of Trade Unions secretary Paul Goulter today.

Union members from Kaitaia to Bluff will stop over the next two days to remember those who have lost their lives at work.Some will erect memorials, others will march through city streets and in Wellington the trains will stop for one minute at noon on Monday while rail workers pay their respects to workmates who lost their lives at work last year.

New Zealand events to mark International Workers' Memorial Day on April 28 begin tomorrow with the planting of a memorial grove at Corban Reserve in Waitakere City.

"The ILO estimates that each year over two million are killed by work - far more than those killed by war, famine or AIDS," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.

"Here in New Zealand, OSH investigated 74 work-related deaths last year - the largest number for a decade. Hundreds of others die each year of occupational illness. Our work-related death, accident and illness toll is totally unacceptable."

In Dunedin on Monday Ross Wilson will launch a CTU campaign aimed at maximising the opportunities in new health and safety law to turn around our workplace toll of death, injury and illness.

"The Unions Talking Health and Safety campaign is about genuine worker involvement in health and safety," said Ross Wilson.

"On May 5 our new workplace health and safety law will be in force and workers will have a real opportunity to make a difference to health and safely at work. "

The Council of Trade Unions is asking union members to switch off lights, machinery, computers, air conditioning and heating at their workplaces for Easter. For those workers who go to work over the Easter break the message is - switch on only what you need.

"Changes to our health and safety law in three week's time are urgently
needed to prevent repeated tragic accidents in our workplaces," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.

"The case is by now well-established for a cut in interest rates," said Council of Trade Unions secretary Paul Goulter today.Paul Goulter said a range of factors supported that view.

"The latest consumer price index data shows that non-tradeables inflation is easing," he said.

"When this is combined with the recent Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion, the effect of the exchange rate, falling export returns, the impact of power prices, ongoing effects of the drought on farm production and SARS, it is clear that a cash rate of 5.75% is too high."

Paul Goulter said the CTU view was that the Reserve Bank should respond to this set of circumstances on 24th April rather than wait until June.

The latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion, alongside latest data on housing, retail sales, job advertisements, and export returns mean that the Reserve Bank needs to cut the official cash rate in April rather than wait until June, the Council of Trade Unions said today.

The Council of Trade Unions has called for Air NZ to guarantee the jobs it says will arise from a merger with Qantas to address the public benefit issue.

"The CTU has called for job guarantees previously and repeated that call in the CTU submission on the merger," said CTU secretary Paul Goulter following the Commerce Commission's rejection of the proposed merger today.

The NZCTU and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, in association with the International Transport Federation, jointly sponsored a Regional Transport Conference in Auckland this week. Below is a conference statement.

The Council of Trade Unions secretary Paul Goulter, said today that unions have been actively campaigning around the issues affecting workers in the GATS negotiations."We have in particular sought strong protection for public services in the GATS Treaty and the New Zealand schedule of commitments," said Paul Goulter.

"We have also been seeking a delay in tabling the initial offer so that full consultation could occur, and for the offer to be made public."

Paul Goulter said the CTU had also sought the withdrawal of current commitments on education and audio-visual services.

Responding to the announcement today of the initial GATS offer by the New Zealand Government, Paul Goulter said that while the CTU welcomed the statement on public services, the CTU would need to carefully study the wording to assess its effectiveness.

Paul Goulter also said that it was good to see the offer is being made public.

"However, the CTU is disappointed in the failure to insert wording which clearly refers to the Treaty of Waitangi," said Paul Goulter.

"Other significant areas of concern include maritime transport, aviation services, and postal services.

Paul Goulter said that the CTU had wanted a longer period to consult with members on these crucial areas before an offer was made and it was now essential that ongoing consultation occurs during the GATS negotiations.