Welcome
In The Unionist this week: National takes the axe to KiwiSaver, CTU Election forum, CTU releases Election Policy Statement.
A proposal to looks at guaranteed redundancy payments for workers is a good step forward and deserves cross party support, the Council of Trade Unions said today.
“Further reading of National’s economic management plan shows alongside National’s plans to cut employer contributions to 2 per cent and abolish the employer tax credit, it will also cut the government contribution (member tax credit) to 2 per cent, leaving many workers earning under $52,000 much worse off.”
"The National Party tax policy does nothing to address New Zealand’s low wage problem and significantly discourages long term savings. Axing KiwiSaver to pay for tax cuts is not a serious economic plan,” CTU Economist Peter Conway said.
Unions are marking World Day for Decent Work today with a call for employers to take the lead in guaranteeing labour hire workers the same pay and conditions as regular workers, ahead of legislation coming in requiring them to do so.
On the eve of a week in which incomes policies will be under scrutiny in the election campaign, the Council of Trade Unions has today released its election policy statement, setting out how to lift incomes and protect workers rights in New Zealand.
In The Unionist this week: the wage gap, education and the Newcastle People's Chorus tour begins.
The Council of Trade Unions has put forward a plan to reduce the 27.6 percent real wage gap with Australia.
September 2008
Comment
As the old union song Solidarity Forever goes, "they have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn". But now, as we witness a major meltdown in the financial system, it is trillions – not millions. And as unions have often observed, the titans of capitalism are always keen to see financial losses socialised while profits are privatised. And for these people, if there is a sticking point, it is that they want a bailout but not government equity (nationalisation) in the process.
“ANZ’s commitment to the New Zealand public and its workforce is in question again today following further restructuring at a bank which made a $1.1 billion profit off New Zealanders last year,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.
