November, 2004

The Council of Trade Unions is warning of considerable risks in the large number of trade deals that the Government is currently involved in.

Negotiations are under way for deals with Thailand, China, Singapore and Chile as well as the ASEAN countries ? with a number of studies suggesting trade talks with other countries are also on the agenda.

"There is a risk that these deals will permanently damage New Zealand's manufacturing base," CTU president Ross Wilson said today. "There is also a risk that the phased elimination of tariffs will expose some sectors such as whiteware and clothing to unfair competition."

Unions were also concerned that the human rights of workers producing the goods and services traded under these agreements were ignored.

"Myanmar (Burma) has a shocking record on human rights and has been condemned by the International Labour Organisation. The CTU has highlighted to Government numerous incidents of forced labour, assassination of union leaders and gross exploitation of workers."

The agreement with Thailand includes a process for unions to take up complaints about breaches of labour rights, which was an improvement on the Singapore Closer Economic Partnership which had no reference to labour issues, Ross Wilson said.

"But this still falls far short of an enforceable and meaningful process to address beaches of core labour conventions such as the use of child labour, forced labour, discrimination and suppression of union rights."

In a 2003 study on Thailand, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions reported forced labour, sweatshops, the exploitation of illegal migrant workers (including in the production of clothing for export) and forced prostitution (national and international trafficking of women and girls).

Major political party support for the NZ Super Fund provided greater certainty for a generation of workers, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The National Party has now committed to support the "Cullen" fund.

The success of any productivity initiative will depend on a process which starts with worker involvement and ensures the benefits are shared fairly, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The Council of Trade Unions today welcomed the Supreme Court decision as strengthening the civil rights of all citizens.

"In upholding the civil rights of Mr Zaoui our Supreme Court is protecting the rights for us all" CTU president Ross Wilson said.

"The CTU has been concerned for some time that Ahmed Zaoui is being held in prison without charge, and is subject to a flawed and unfair process," Ross Wilson said.

"The speed with which the appeal has been heard also vindicates the establishment of our own Supreme Court to replace the Privy Council in London.

Unions are calling for urgent attention to industry development strategies as the government announces it will begin negotiations next week on a China free trade deal.

Download The Unionist (pdf, 175kb), including the CTU events diary.

"The release today of the study into a China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement has done nothing to allay the concerns of unions," said Ross Wilson today.

Ross Wilson said that the CTU is not surprised that the study recommends proceeding with a full negotiation.

The CTU has made a major submission on all aspects of the proposed trade agreement including goods, services and investment. Our submission highlighted the atrocious labour conditions of many Chinese workers, the lack of worker rights, and breaches of core international labour conditions.

Ross Wilson said that "the Government should not just talk up the gains and talk down the losses which could come from a trade agreement.

This announcement means that it is an urgent requirement for the Government to work with unions and employers in the manufacturing sector to ensure that a trade agreement does not result in a net loss of manufacturing jobs".

At a recent business meeting in Auckland to discuss the proposed trade agreement, one New Zealand company based in China boasted that the wage bill for their 22 expatriate staff was the same as the total wage bill for their 2,500 Chinese workers.

"It is this attitude that is of extreme concern to unions if the trade agreement accelerates greater relocation to China of some of the 300,000 New Zealand manufacturing jobs," Ross Wilson said.

The Unionist reports on the role of unions in international development, and a CTU project to assist Burmese unions organising migrant workers in Thailand.

Download The Unionist (pdf, 176kb), including the CTU events diary.

The Labour Party holds its annual conference at Takapuna, on Aucklands North Shore, this weekend. With a general election to be held by September next year, we review progress for working people over the past five years - and remember what we lost in the 1990s.

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Employers needed to make changes to the workplace to recruit and retain valuable and experienced older workers in paid work, Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

A new health and safety report revealed the shockingly high toll of decades of neglect in New Zealand workplaces and decisive action was required, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

"The victims of asbestos-related disease must the compensated," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

Christchurch School of Medicine research has confirmed that hundreds more New Zealanders have died from asbestos-related disease than is recorded on death certificates.

"Basic fairness, as well as the Government's international law obligations, requires that victims of occupational disease are compensated in the same way as victims of accidents," Ross Wilson said.

"Asbestos was used by business and Government in New Zealand despite available knowledge of its fatal health risks."

The CTU has asked the Select Committee considering the Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation Amendment Bill (No 3) to amend the principal Act to ensure that the requirements of International Labour Convention 42 are fully complied with.

ILO Convention 42 requires the Government to ensure that in law and in practice the workers incapacitated by occupational disease are provided with the same compensation as the victims of accidents.

"The CTU expects to meet with the Minister for ACC Ruth Dyson to discuss this matter soon," Ross Wilson said.

The role of unions is crucial to workers' ability to balance work with the rest of their lives, and unions which make work-life balance a priority will gain from increased membership and activism, according to visiting UK trade unionist Jo Morris.

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The Government's decision to look at improving the design and coverage of the State Sector Retirement Savings Scheme was good news for many workers in the wider state sector, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The union movement was leading the way in the struggle for work-life balance in New Zealand and internationally, Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

The CTU launches its publication, "It's About Time! - A Union Guide to Work-Life Balance" this evening.

Associate Minister of Labour Ruth Dyson will launch the book and work-life balance expert Jo Morris, from the UK Trades Union Congress, will also speak at the event.

"It's About Time!" defined the issue and the roles of unions, the Government and employers in removing the barriers that stopped workers achieving balance between work and the rest of their lives, Carol Beaumont said.

The book also identified practical, work-life balance working arrangements and processes for change in workplaces which not only helped workers achieve better balance, but also assisted employers in attracting and retaining staff.

"The union movement has been a strong voice here and internationally in promoting work-life balance," she said.

"Our perspective is that collectively we must make changes that allow workers at all levels to balance their various needs and responsibilities."