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Unitec has failed employees & students

The Council of Trade Unions supports the 300 employees working at Unitec whose jobs have been disestablished in a decision made by Unitec’s chief executive, Rick Ede.

Unitec, New Zealand’s largest polytechnic, decided last week to take away the jobs of 300 people (about a quarter of their employees).

Zero hour contracts; why does the Government want to put them in law?

Today is the last day for oral submissions on the Employment Standards Bill. This Bill puts zero hour contracts into law for the first time.

Working people have been very clear in their oral and written submissions that zero hour contracts are unfair and unreasonable. We urge the committee to not put zero hour contracts in law.

Young workers tell MPs zero-hour contracts must go

Stand Up, the youth union movement, told MPs today that zero-hour contracts are unacceptable and must go, during select committee hearings on the Employment Standards Legislation Bill.

CTU calls for a better deal for working New Zealanders

The CTU has called for the Government to give New Zealanders a better deal at work. The CTU was heard by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee this morning regarding the contentious Employment Standards Legislation Bill.

CTU President Richard Wagstaff’s acceptance speech

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou

I am both honoured and humbled to be taking up the role of CTU President.
I want to thank the PSA and the EPMU for nominating me to this role and to all of the affiliates and officials who have supported and encouraged me to stand.

Being CTU President is a job of great importance and you have placed a great deal in faith in me to

Helen Kelly’s CTU Conference Address

It great to see you all here at our conference and its great we all have this chance to again together reflect on the last couple of years and see what we learned and achieved but most importantly to look forward, set priorities and use the things we have learned to build a stronger movement.

Pay the job not the gender

There is an increasing appetite to deal to the persistent gender pay gap, the Council of Trade Unions said today.

The New Zealand Income Survey, out today, shows that average hourly pay rates for women are still 14 percent lower than for men.