Climate change policy should be broad-based and not rely too substantially on market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading, the Council of Trade Unions said in its submission to Parliament.

"Increasing workers' skills is at the heart of economic transformation and is key to lifting New Zealand's productivity.  A concerted effort to take a wider look at skills development beyond routine training issues is welcome," Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

“The Council of Trade Unions commends Child Poverty Action Group [9] for their persistent work in keeping child poverty in the public domain and on everyone’s agenda,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said tonight, following the release of CPAG’s latest research report.

The Unionist reports on a range of economic stories this week, and profiles the stand taken by South African dock workers for the human rights of ordinary working people in Zimbabwe.  We also give the full listing for Workers Memorial Day events around the country on Monday, and other events and campaign dates.

“Workers are feeling the pinch with rising costs, and the Reserve Bank governor is wrong to single out wages increases [14] as a future inflationary threat,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.

The Council of Trade Unions today welcomed the announcement that import tariffs will be held at their 1 July 2009 levels [16] until 30 June 2011.

“Employers need to look in the mirror to find the main reason why people leave New Zealand to live in Australia,” CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

“The fact is that the wage gap with Australia grew by 50% in the 1990s in the period of the Employment Contracts Act – a law promoted by employers. Since 1999, the wage gap has grown by just over 1%.”

“South African dock workers should be congratulated for preventing arms getting to the Mugabe regime and their stand shows the crucial role unions play internationally in protecting human rights,” CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

The Council of Trade Unions is cautioning against a race to the bottom in wages, as a response to two major job offshoring announcements this week.

"The solution to offshoring is not to lower wages and conditions such as annual leave here. The solution lies in lifting the value of goods and services," CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

“With an after tax profit last year of $61 million, how much money for shareholders does Fisher and Paykel Appliances, a profitable company, think they really need?” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.

“ANZ National’s decision to outsource up to  500 jobs shows no commitment to the New Zealand workforce and community,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.

“Despite making huge profits out of New Zealand citizens, ANZ National is disregarding their skilled workforce and the community in favour of short term financial returns to shareholders. 

Very rarely do I despair but my recent experience addressing a conference of industrial relations (IR) specialists made me take to the gin (a depressive in itself I understand!). 

Helen Kelly, NZCTU President address to the New Zealand Labour Party Congress, Wellington, 13th April 2008

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga karangaranga maha o nga mata waka, me nga momo tangata katoa o te hui nei.  Tena koutou katoa.

The Council of Trade Unions says that it appears as if union concerns have been taken on board in the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Anyone wanting to privatise ACC should think twice, the Council of Trade Unions warned this week.  The Unionist this week also reports on the improvements for workers that took affect earlier this week, and our weekly events calendar.

“Unions will continue to support and progress initiatives that build a high-skill, high-value workforce, and modern apprenticeships are a key part of that mix,” Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.

"Spotless Services’ refusal to pay its hospitals workers rates that have been agreed to in negotiation with the union is completely dishonourable and outrageous,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.

"Hospital kitchen staff, orderlies and cleaners are some of the poorest paid workers in the country."

“The jury is in – ACC is a world leader and brings both economic benefits and social benefits to the country.  The case to retain this core asset is now clear,” CTU president Helen Kelly said.

ACC this week published an independent report conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (Sydney) on the social and economic impacts of the scheme.

The Council of Trade Unions says that Bill English should get his facts right before he makes misleading and incorrect statements about the CTU’s compliance with electoral law.

“There is clearly more to be done to lift New Zealanders living standards, but minimum wage rises coming into effect today coupled with improvements to the social wage in areas like health, education and housing, show we are going about it in the right way,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said.