Events for April and May
Workers Memorial Day April 28
Workers’ Memorial Day is the day when we “mourn for the dead, but fight for the living”, drawing attention to the plight of the hundreds of New Zealand workers who still die every year as a result of their work.
The memorial day also serves as a reminder that the workplace can be a hostile environment towards a worker’s health and safety. It should also remind us that there can never be enough laws and safeguards protecting workers’ health and safety and that we need to continue the fight to strengthen those laws.
Unions will be focusing on education and organising around health and safety. We will also be demanding accountability from employers who refuse to meet their obligations to provide a healthy and safe workplace.
Nationwide Activities planned for Worker's Memorial Day April 28th 2010.
NAPIER
VENUE: South end of the port behind the seafarer’s mission
DAY: Wednesday 28th April 2010
TIME: 10.00am
Speakers to be advised in conjunction with MUNZ, other port users and management closer to the day.
Proceedings will be run by Neville Stevenson our Industrial Chaplain. Anyone wishing to speak on the day please feel free to do so.
Thanks
D Marden, RMT Union, Napier Port Branch Secretary
PALMERSTON NORTH
VENUE: Cenotaph, The Square
DAY: Wednesday 28 April
TIME: 12.15pm to 12.45pm
SPEAKER: Iain Lees-Galloway, MP
WELLINGTON
VENUE: Behind TePapa, adjacent to Circa Theatre
DAY : Wednesday 28 April
TIME: 12.15pm
SPEAKERS: Darian Fenton M.P.,Henry Fagaiava on Health and Safety 'Follow Up', Tina McIvor on the Methyl Bromide Campaign
WHANGANUI
VENUE: Handspan Peace Sculpture for Children, Queens Park, City Centre, Whanganui
DAY: Wednesday 28 April 2010
TIME: 12.00 Midday
Vigil to Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living
CHRISTCHRUCH
VENUE: Memorial Stone, Science Alive Reserve, Moorhouse Ave (behind Hoyts 8 cinema complex)
DAY: Wednesday 28 April 2010
TIME: 11.30am - 12.30am
SPEAKER: Maryan Street, MP
Flowers will be laid at the Memorial Stone and a cabbage tree will be planted to remember those who have lost their lives over the last year.
DUNEDIN
VENUE: Otago Workers Memorial, Market Reserve – Princes Street Dunedin
DATE: Wednesday 28th April 2010
TIME: 11:45 am
The ceremony will be followed by a function at the Masonic Lodge in Manor Place. RSVP – for catering by Friday 23rd April to Jenny McCullum (03) 477 6578 or 0800 800 958 jennym@nzno.org.nz
May Day events
PALMERSTON NORTH
Aotearoa NZ's May Day Concert 2010
Saturday 1 May 2010, 7.30pm
Celebrating International Workers Day
A great night of fun and solidarity in the form of song, music, dance and performance art from unions, community groups and individuals from throughout New Zealand and internationally.
Featuring Peter Hicks (Folk singer/activist, Tasmania), The Brazen Hussies in their 20th year of performing and the Turakina Maori Girls College kapa haka. Also featuring Ahmed Zaoui (poems), the Michelle Robinson Dancers, Pi'ikea Clark (ukelele), John Maynard (Trumpet), Rob Thorne, Suzy Hawes, Luc Arnault (France), Folk-Us, the Congolese Community Dancers and much more.
When: Saturday 1 May 2010, 7.30pm
Where: Regent on Broadway, Palmerston North
Cost: Entry by gold coin donation
Contact: Organised by Dion Martin (coordinator) Manawatu MayDay Coalition, on behalf of Unions Manawatu. Post: PO Box 1327, Palmerston North. Tel: (06) 356 9658, Mobile: (021) 776 029,
Email: dion.martin@ndu.org.nz
AUCKLAND
March: Meet at Britomart at 1.45pm Saturday 1st of May.
We will be marching from Britmart to the Maritime Club
Celebration: Maritime Club – 68 Anzac Ave from 2.30 onwards.
Food will be provided (Buy your own drinks)
Contact Garry Parsloe garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz
WORKING WOMEN’S SEMINAR
Saturday 1st May
St John’s Conference Centre
Cnr Dixon and Willis Streets, Wellington
9.00am – 4.30pm
The seminar is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Working Women's Charter by the NZ Federation of Labour. This year also marks 50 years since the passing of the Government Services Equal Pay Act 1960.
The aim of this seminar is not only to honour the past and define the present but importantly also to look to the future. Speakers include Martha Coleman, Hazel Armstrong, Taima Fagaloa, Margaret Long and others. Panel includes Maryan Street and Lyndy McIntyre.
Registration Fee $30 waged and unwaged $10.
Please contact workingwomenseminar@gmail.com
UnionAID Fundraising film nights
The NZ premiere of the film Breaking the Silence: Burma’s Resistance is being held in Wellington on Monday 26 April 8.00pm at the Paramount Cinema, Courtenay Place. A second screening will be held on Monday 3 May 8.30pm at the Academy Cinema 44 Lorne Street Auckland.
Tickets cost $25 and all proceeds go to UnionAID, the international development agency of the NZ Council of Trade Unions.
The Canadian made documentary was filmed secretly inside Burma and sheds light on the enormous risks taken by ordinary Burmese people in their efforts to rid the country of its brutal military dictatorship.
See http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3609331/Rebel-who-paid-grim-price-for-wanting-peace
Tickets can be obtained from unionaid@nzctu.org.nz or on the door.
Press Freedom Debate
A debate on the motion “Politicians pay the price of a free press” will be held at the Backbencher pub in Wellington on Monday May 3 at 7.00pm. Tickets cost $25 and proceeds go to the Solidarity and Safety Appeal supporting journalists and their families in the Asia-Pacific region. The fund is administered by the Australian Media Alliance of which the EPMU is a member.
Tickets are available from Rowan Anderson rowan.anderson@epmu.org.nz (04) 387-4662, or from event organiser Brent Edwards, Radio NZ Political Editor on 027 451 3507.
Radio Labour
The April 16 edition of "RadioLabour 5" - five minutes of international labour news - is now available. You can find the news programme at http://www.radiolabour.net (at the top left corner), Facebook (search for "radiolabour"), and iTunes
* 21,000 construction workers on strike in Norway
* 18,000 paperworkers start industrial actions in Sweden
* Iraqi teacher unionist freed from jail
* Demonstrations in support of locked-out Rio Tinto mine workers
* ICEM fights contract and agency work
And more
"The Solidarity Report" - 30 minutes of international labour news and feature stories - is available every Sunday morning.