Today oral submissions begin on the Equal Pay Amendment Bill and the Council of Trade Unions is one of the first off the blocks to support this law at Select Committee. “We all know that Kiwis believe in fairness. This Bill will make New Zealand a fairer place by making sure women are paid fairly,”… Read more »
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Labour statistics show more effort from government required
The Council of Trade Unions is welcoming signs today, in the Labour Market Statistics, of stronger pay rises coming through but says there is a long way still to go. “It is good to see a strong rise in the average wage over the last year, and that more Kiwi workers are getting pay rises,… Read more »
Read more...Living Wage for Westpac
The Council of Trade Unions is welcoming growing awareness in the business sector that lifting incomes is a priority, with today’s announcement that Westpac will be an accredited Living Wage employer. “It’s good to see that at least some parts of the business sector are recognising that low wages are a problem. Employers have the… Read more »
Read more...Fair Pay Agreements; making work fairer for Kiwis
“Working Kiwis are a step closer to having fairness at work with today’s announced recommendations from the working party on Fair Pay Agreements,” said CTU President, Richard Wagstaff. “New Zealanders deserve jobs that pay enough to live on, with working hours and conditions that allow them to spend time with their families and doing the… Read more »
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Mood of the workforce shows urgent need for change
The results are in for the CTU Together 2019 cost of living and income survey and it is clear that urgent change is needed with more than 70% of respondents reporting their incomes are not keeping up with the cost of living despite more than 55% reporting their workload has got worse. The survey, run… Read more »
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Historic minimum wage announcement a huge relief for working Kiwis
After decades of working Kiwi’s incomes declining relative to the slice of income taken by shareholders, the Government has announced a plan that will help catch wages up, said Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff. “The historic increase to the minimum wage from the 1st of April next year will in real terms mean… Read more »
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Changes to migrant labour system for employers welcomed
Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff today welcomed the opening of a consultation process on changes for employers wanting to hire people on migrant work visas. “We have seen increasingly visible and shocking exploitation of people who have come to New Zealand to work under migrant visas by unscrupulous employers in recent years. Changes… Read more »
Read more... Wellbeing of working people welcome budget focus
Council of Trade Unions (CTU) Economist Bill Rosenberg applauded the new approach to Government Budgets, as described in the Budget Policy Statement this afternoon, for taking into account the wellbeing of working people and their families. “Fiscal responsibility is much more than balancing the financial position of the Government,” he said. “There is no point… Read more »
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Victory for working people in New Zealand
The Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sam Huggard says that tonight’s passing of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill will be a victory for working people over an expensive lobbying campaign run by big business. “This law allows Kiwis to access their basic rights at work, to make more informed choices about their employment, and help… Read more »
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Clear safe staffing levels needed throughout health system
Unions are supporting the call from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) for the Government to find agreement on safe staffing levels for senior doctors and dentists working in public hospitals. Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sam Huggard said that the chronic issue of understaffing in our public health system can be fixed by… Read more »
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