The Budget last week was, as expected, an election year Budget. Many low and middle income families will welcome the relief of some extra money in their pockets. But much more could have gone to them rather than to high income earners, and there would have been funding left over to address problems like the… Read more »
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Working people are welcoming today’s announcement from the Green Party that they will increase the legal minimum entitlement of paid sick leave from five days per year to ten. Today’s announcement was part of a package of initiatives released in their ‘Budget for All Mothers’ policy. CTU Secretary, Sam Huggard welcomes the policy, “This… Read more »
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Joint Media Release: Council of Trade Unions, New Zealand Nurses Organisation, and the Public Service Association Operational health funding will need to increase by almost $1.1 billion in this year’s Budget. Of that, $721 million is needed just to maintain the current service. These are two key findings of a pre-Budget analysis of government health… Read more »
Read more... On 25 May, the Government will announce its last Budget before the election. Budgets are always political statements whose facts are difficult to spot amid the tornado-like spin, but pre-election Budgets are even more so. But it is worth stating the obvious: Budgets should be about making lives better for New Zealanders. Finance Minister Steven… Read more »
Read more... “We need Equal Pay legislation that is consistent with the recent Court of Appeal Judgement on the Terranova Case and the agreed Joint Working Group recommended principles. This Exposure Bill falls short in crucial areas,” said CTU President Richard Wagstaff today following the release of the Government’s Equal Pay Exposure Draft Bill. “Significant parts of… Read more »
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“Not only is the 1 percent overall rise in prices this quarter larger than expected, but it is concentrated mainly in necessities that hit the budgets of low and middle income households hardest,” says CTU Economist Bill Rosenberg, responding to today’s CPI release. “Whether you look at the increase in the three months to the… Read more »
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Lifting wages and improving the quality of work for workers in industries with large number of temporary migrant workers need as much attention as modifications announced today, the CTU says. The government today announced changes to immigration, largely focusing on the skilled migrant category, the proposed South Island pathway and the essential skills work visa.… Read more »
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Unions representing care and support workers are pleased to be jointly announcing with government a proposed equal pay settlement to 55,000 workers across the aged residential, disability and home support sectors. The proposed settlement is a huge win and will make a real difference in valuing the work of care and support workers and the… Read more »
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A just-released OECD report on New Zealand calling for a more active role for the government in supporting redundant workers prompts a welcome debate, the CTU said today. “Working people have borne the brunt of the changing nature of work – not only through increasingly insecure jobs which are often low paid, but also, as… Read more »
Read more... The age of eligibility to receive New Zealand Superannuation is again being challenged. The usual reason given for raising the age of eligibility is affordability of the scheme. For example the Commission for Financial Capability (formerly the Retirement Commission) in its 2016 Review of Retirement Income Policies justified it by asserting that in 2015/16 New… Read more »
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