Opinion

Next month will mark 52 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed in Aotearoa New Zealand. For over a hundred years, unions have continued to work tirelessly in the pay equity space. Sometimes this work feels impossibly lofty – after more than half a century it’s clear to many… Read More »Equal Pay, Equal Rights: Fighting for Pay Equity in Aotearoa

Richard Wagstaff There is no place for migrant worker exploitation in a decent society, and yet in Aotearoa New Zealand many migrant workers continue to contend with low wages, exploitation, and abuse. This week the Human Rights Commission released a review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme, which… Read More »Aotearoa’s Moral Failure on Migrant Worker Rights

Dr Zoë Port Today marks International Youth Day, and the NZCTU’s youth network Stand Up is calling on the Government to do better by young workers – following the bleak news last week that youth are massively overrepresented in the latest unemployment and underutilisation figures. Last week, the latest data… Read More »Government says ‘do your bit’ – young workers say ‘do better’

10-day intensive in Vienna I have just returned home to Aotearoa from the International Trade Union School (ITUSA) in Vienna, Austria. The programme is run by the International Trade Union Confederation and the ÖGB (Austria’s NZCTU equivalent). It is a 10-day intensive training programme aimed at developing young union leaders… Read More »Coming home from the International Trade Union School

Never have we needed to talk about power to win decent wages more than right now. With an ongoing assault on workers’ rights and conditions — the repeal of Fair Pay Agreements, massive public sector layoffs, the undermining of sick pay, a pitiful and mean-minded increase to the minimum wage… Read More »Power to Win

This week the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi launched an exciting new three-year project, Reimagining Aotearoa Together. The project, which will bring together the union movement and progressive communities to develop and implement an alternative vision for the future, is a response to the continued failure… Read More »Looking beyond the narrow policy confines of the past four decades

First published on stuff.co.nz (26 April 2024) The post-Pike River political consensus on workplace health and safety is dead. This has been evidenced by the slashing of WorkSafe jobs by the outgoing Labour Government, and the further cost cutting plans announced by WorkSafe. To make matters worse, the ACT Workplace Relations and Safety… Read More »Health and safety consensus is dead, and WorkSafe cuts are burying it

As I sit here in New Zealand, safe from the brutality of Myanmar’s military regime, I consider what brought me here. My escape was not a solitary endeavour, but proof to the strength and solidarity fostered by the international union movement. It is through the solid support of organisations like… Read More »Standing Strong with Union Support

The future of Auckland is at a critical point. Right now. Auckland Council is consulting the public on its ten year plan which includes a proposal to privatise the Port of Auckland for a generation. MUNZ opposes this privatisation. So too should all Aucklanders. Privatising the port is an incredibly… Read More »Stop the privatisation of Auckland port

New Zealand prides itself on being a fair and diverse country, but there’s a big problem hiding in plain sight: Pacific women aren’t getting paid as much as they should be. Despite efforts for fairness, Pacific women still face unfair pay in their jobs, showing that there are deeper issues… Read More »Empowering Change: Strategies to Overcome Pay Inequality for Pacific Women in New Zealand

Richard Wagstaff This year, more than ever, unions must stand in solidarity with Māori workers in the fight back against this assault on their rights. The Growing Movement of Māori Unity I have recently had the privilege of being present for two important moments in the growing movement of Māori… Read More »Unions must show solidarity with the fight for Te Tiriti justice

Is there anything more important than water? No. Then why is this government hellbent on adding to the generational problems of water management, without providing any solutions? Over the course of 2023, I met hundreds of amazing workers in the water industry. From technicians to engineers, electricians to administrators, this… Read More »Ko te wai te ora ngā mea katoa. Water is the life giver of all things.

A lack of corporate accountability On 19 November 2010, 29 men went to work and never came home. At 3.44pm, Pike River mine exploded, cutting power and communication into the mine. As people desperately waited for news about their loved ones, further explosions made it clear there would be no… Read More »New Zealand’s shameful record