The Unionist, Issue 65, November 24 2006

A strong union campaign was what stopped National’s 90 Days No Rights Bill, writes the Unionist this week. 

Either read on, or download a printable version here (PDF file, 106 kb).

Union Campaigning Beats 90 Day Bill

A strong union campaign was what stopped National’s 90 Days No Rights Bill, CTU president Ross Wilson said.

On Wednesday MPs voted down National’s Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill when it came up for second reading in Parliament.  Only the 5 MPs from Act and United Future joined the National caucus in voting for the Bill to continue through its remaining stages, with Labour, New Zealand First, the Greens, the Maori Party and the Progressive Party voting against it. 

“This was a clear union win for working people,” Ross Wilson said.  “We stood up to the attack on our rights to a fair go at work.” 

“The debate on the Bill provoked a significant response from workers throughout the country, as we saw at the big rallies in Auckland and Wellington, and the actions of thousands of others. 

Campaign activity in cities and towns throughout New Zealand by unions over several months, including lobbying MPs, rallies in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, leafleting at fleamarkets, postcard campaigns and a website set up specifically for the campaign all helped to beat the bill  Wilson said.

“This Bill really was a fundamental attack on workers’ rights and was merely a taste of what’s to come if National were to lead the government. Unions will continue to defend the rights of ordinary working New Zealanders against National’s anti worker agenda,” he said.

The CTU’s vice president Maori said that unions were pleased that the Maori Party had decided not to continue supporting National’s bill.

“The CTU Runanga worked with the Maori Party since the Bill was introduced, to outline our view that the Bill was not good for Maori workers, and that there are much better ways of addressing high Maori unemployment that don’t deny workers their rights,” Sharon Clair said.

New Zealand First also initially supported the bill, but voted against it on Wednesday night.  Many union members had met with New Zealand First MPs to outline their concerns, and the CTU met with the caucus’ industrial relations spokesperson Peter Brown at several stages.

National Affiliates Council Meets

There was a mix of special guests, work updates and policy discussion at a quarterly meeting of the CTU National Affiliates Council (NAC) in Wellington yesterday.

Sharan Burrow, head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and  of the newly formed International Trade Union Confederation (see Unionist issue 62) was in New Zealand this week for a firefighters union conference and spoke to the NAC on their “Your Rights at Work Campaign”, which has its next national day of community protest on November 30.

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Labour and ACC Minister Ruth Dyson also spoke to delegates, as did Green Party Co Leaders Russel Norman and Jeanette Fitzsimons.

The meeting reflected on the successful campaign to beat the 90 Days Bill, and discussed building towards the next election in 2008.

The quarterly work report updated progress in areas such as productivity, the Business Tax Review,  union education, Manufacturing Plus, retirement savings, ACC advocacy, pay and employment equity, flexible work, Hui Taumata and work in industry and sector groups, as well as updates from and updates from the Runanga and other CTU representative structures: Out@ Work, Women’s Council, YUM and Komiti Pasefika.

Weekly Events Calendar

Unions Local

Unions Manawatu
Fri Nov 24, 3pm.
PSA House, 41-47 King St,
Palmerston North
john.shennan@psa.org.nz

Unions Northland
Tue Nov 28, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Other events and campaigns

Think & Drink - Akld and Wellington. Speaker: Kris Rondeau
AKLD: Thursday November 30, 4 -7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road. RSVP: karenn@nzctu.org.nz
WGTN: Wednesday 29th November, 5-7pm, NZCTU Boardroom, 7th Floor, Education House, 178 Willis Street.  RSVP nanette.cormack@psa.org.nz
Guest speaker - Kris Rondeau, Activist and workplace leader in the campaign to unionise Harvard.
Kris Rondeau and her fellow activists employed a new organising strategy to unionise Harvard University in the US. Believing that standard organising approaches are often contrary to ‘women’s ways of organising’, Kris rejects the idea that organising should centre on arousing anger and be solely focussed on ‘issues’, believing instead that organising should be based upon establishing relationships, common values, and building staff communities. This type of organising, known as ‘Relational Organising’, is being seen within the labour movement as an alternative to the more traditional ‘Issues-based Organising’.

FIRST FRIDAY DRINKS 
Friday Dec 1st, After Work,
Brix Bar, Abel Tasman Hotel
Cnr. Willis & Dixon Streets
Wellington

WWRC Red Flag – Trade Union Social Club
Christmas Party: “I’M DREAMING OF A RED CHRISTMAS”
Friday 1 December.
5.30pm onward
Trades Hall, 147 Great North road, Grey Lynn. Entrance $5.00.  Delicious bar food and our usual social club facilities. RSVP Ros Hiini, Ph 09 379 7906, wwrc@ihug.co.nz

CTU Meetings, Training

PaEE Training
CTU short training sessions for union organisers, educators, negotiators and senior delegates participating in pay and employment equity reviews, focusing on the pay investigation and remedial pay settlement aspects of the reviews.
ChCh: Thurs 30 Nov, 11-2pm, NZEI, 199 Armagh St.
Akld: Fri 8 December 1-4pm, NZNO, Symonds St.
Contact: nikkib@nzctu.org.nz

Working For Families
Breakfast Meeting on Working for Families – aimed at organisers and lead delegates to provide information and resources for worksites, about accessing WFF entitlements.
Christchurch breakfast is on Tuesday 28th – for further details or requests to attend - contact Karena.brown@epmu.org.nz
Wellington: November 29th, 8am -9am, CTU, Level 7, Education House, 178 Willis St., Welington.  RSVP Ed Goode before 23rd November: edwardg@nzctu.org.nz
Hamilton: 6 December, 7.15 – 8.45am, Waikato Trade Union Centre.  RSVP required by 29 November 2006 to waikatotuc@xtra.co.nz
Auckland – details following soon

‘PILOT’ Learning Representatives Education Workshop
29 & 30 Nov, 9am - 4.30 pm.
St Columbus Church, 92 Surrey Cres., Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Enquiries: oksanaz@nzctu.org.nz

Wellington CTU-Government Forum
The CTU-Government Forum provides union delegates with an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and key Ministers to debate policy issues of importance to people in the workplace. 
Tue 5 December, 4.30pm-9.30pm
Overseas Terminal, Chaffers Marina, Wellington
Contact: andrewc@nzctu.org.nz

CTU Flexible Work Meeting
CTU meeting on the DOL Discussion paper: Quality Flexible Work: Increasing Availability and Take up in New Zealand
CTU Board room on December 4th from 1030- 1200/1230.
RSVP:  eileenb@nzctu.org.nz

CTU Migration Workgroup Meeting
Agenda includes: skills shortage lists, AIP, the fishing sector, horticulture and viticulture and the review of the Immigration Act 
Wednesday 6 December, 1.30pm-4.30pm
CTU Meeting Room, Level 7 – Education House, 178 Willis Street, Wellington
Contact: andrewc@nzctu.org.nz

Contact

If you have any information about upcoming CTU events please contact:
Sam Huggard - (04) 802 3817, email: samh@nzctu.org.nz