Make a Change for Better Jobs
New employment law will give greater respect to working people and the contribution they make, and it will put a stop to the constant downward pressure on general pay, conditions and job security.
The rich are getting richer, while working people are falling behind. Between 1984 and 2011, the richest 10% increased their incomes by 80%, while the poorest 10% were left with less income after housing costs.
Wage growth has fallen behind productivity growth since 1991, costing the average worker more than $6,000 a year in lost wages.
The government has made it easier for employers to attack the pay and conditions for working people and to refuse to settle collective agreeements.
Bus drivers in the Wellington region still don’t know what will happen to their jobs next year, because the Regional Council has changed bus providers without securing pay and conditions for the drivers. This situation is caused by our weak employment laws.
It’s time to make a change.
Unions are calling for:
- Negotiated industry standards to set minimum pay rates and conditions appropriate to each industry.
- Changes to employment law that restore protection for union organising and collective bargaining.
- An alternative economic strategy centered on the needs of working people.