Today’s wage figures show that Governments can and do make a real difference to the wages of working people, and that the effort needs to continue, the CTU said today. The CTU also welcomed the strong employment figures. “All the parties in the Coalition Government have excellent policy commitments to improve the wages of people… Read more »
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In August, the Centre for Labour, Employment and Work (CLEW) at Victoria University released their annual analysis of collective employment agreements (CEAs). It shows again that people who are part of a collective get better pay rises: the union pay premium. For the year to June 2018 CLEW finds that on average wages in CEAs… Read more »
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How well does New Zealand’s tax system perform in reducing inequality? What would be the effect of some likely changes to it discussed in the interim report of the Tax Working Group, released last week? New Zealand’s personal income tax system is very weak in reducing inequality compared to other OECD countries. So is our… Read more »
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Compassion is at the heart of the Coalition Government and what a difference a year has made already to the lives of New Zealanders, said CTU President Richard Wagstaff, who attended today’s event in Auckland. “A hands-off Government was not working for New Zealand, the big social and environmental crises of our times such as… Read more »
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By attempting to backtrack on its promise to strengthen New Zealanders’ work rights New Zealand First is letting down the very Kiwi battlers it claims to represent, says the Council of Trade Unions. CTU President Richard Wagstaff says the move would be a betrayal. “We’re incredibly disappointed by New Zealand First’s attempts to duck the… Read more »
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It is often said that New Zealand has a low-wage economy in comparison to other high-income countries such as those in their club, the OECD. Business NZ recently disputed that. But there is strong evidence that New Zealand does have low wages. First, a comparison of the purchasing power of annual average wages for full-time… Read more »
Read more... Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sam Huggard said today that union members and officials around the country would be turning out to support NZEI Te Riu Roa industrial action to protect quality public education and the teaching profession. “Teachers and principals have been the last line of defence for our education system through a decade… Read more »
Read more... The Council of Trade Unions today congratulated education support workers for achieving pay equity, with the signing of terms of settlement for workers who provide support to young children with additional learning needs. “Today’s settlement is huge affirmation of the work of these women. Their work has been undervalued for a very long time, and… Read more »
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The Council of Trade Unions welcomes the Ministry of Social Development’s statement that helping Tranzit recruit for bus-driving jobs that are under dispute was inappropriate. CTU President Richard Wagstaff says the call, made yesterday, is the right one. “The Ministry’s role should be to get people into decent jobs that can support them and their… Read more »
Read more... An Ombudsman’s report released last week shows our deportation rules aren’t working, especially for eight Indian students who were deported last year, says CTU Vice-president Rachel Mackintosh. The report concluded that our law did allow for deportation of the students because of “fraudulent” paperwork, even when they committed that “fraud” unknowingly and were powerless actors… Read more »
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