The Unionist, Issue 75, April 27, 2007

Tomorrow is Workers Memorial Day, writes the Unionist this Friday.

Either read on, or you can download a printable version here (PDF file, 50 kb)

Mourn The Dead, Fight For The Living

Tomorrow is Workers Memorial Day, a day that unions globally have marked since 1989 to remember those who have been killed or injured at work, and to fight for the health and safety of the living.

The international themes this year include addressing the causes of occupational and environmental cancers at the workplace and demanding safety and health standards and enforcement.  Despite New Zealand’s small population, research shows that between 700  and 1,000 people die each year from occupational disease, particularly cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease.

Events marking Workers Memorial Day started today in Wellington at the Hutt Valley Workshops, where trains stopped for one minute from 12pm to remember those workers who have died, followed by a service and karakia.

Tomorrow there are commemorations in other parts of the country, including Dunedin, Christchurch and Mt Maunganui.  Attendees at the May Day dinner in Auckland will also observe a moments silence to remember those who have died while at work.

CTU president Ross Wilson, who is attending the Dunedin commemoration, said that the best way to honour those who have died at work is to recommit to fighting for better safety and health standards on the job.

“Health and safety is a core union issue.  All union members expect their unions to be working to improve their conditions of employment, and nothing is more fundamental than organising to protect their lives, limbs and good health.”

“Unions will continue to focus on education and organising around health and safety, and shortly we will be launching stage three of our health and safety reps training programme, which has seen over 15,000 workers trained since 2002.”

Urgency Needed on Manafacturing

The CTU said today that redundancy announcements yesterday by Fisher and Paykel signal an exchange rate accelerated crisis for our manufacturing sector.

Fisher and Paykel announced yesterday that it would move its washing machine and dryer production from Auckland to Thailand.  This follows redundancy announcements at three plants in Christchurch earlier in the month.

“The CTU has been expressing concern for years about the manufacturing sector.  We can’t blame Fisher and Paykel and we can’t blame the cheap labour countries.” 

“We need a sense of urgency in developing a manufacturing sector strategy, and an early response from Government on the ‘Manufacturing Vision’ report released late last year is now required.”

“There is something horribly wrong when bank profits are soaring while iconic manufacturers are shifting jobs offshore.”

“The CTU agrees on the need to ensure that we build high value into manufactured exports. But this requires an environment that is supportive of manufacturing as set out in the report released last year.”

“It is all very well to say that we should just focus on design and intellectual property for manufactured goods, but that sends a bleak message to the nearly 300,000 workers in the manufacturing sector,” Ross Wilson said.

CTU Weekly Events Calendar

Unions Local

Unions Waikato
Thur May 3, 5.15pm
TUC, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
fiona.mcqueen@epmu.org.nz

CTU Unions Workers Memorial Day/May Day

Auckland
Saturday 28th April, 6.30 pm
May Day dinner for all union people. For
bookings contact Garry Parsloe at MUNZ 021
326 261 or Linda Holt at PSA 027 271 3572
Tuesday May 1, 5pm
May Day March.  Open mic 5pm Cnr Queen St and Customs St, march 5.30pm to Aotea Sq.

Palmerston North
Manawatu May Day Cup: Regent Theatre
7.30PM, Saturday 5 May, Plm North. Entry by Gold Coin Donation dmartin@nduunion.org.nz

Wellington
Unions Wellington May Day Dinner
From 6:30 Tues May 1st, Grand Century Restaurant, 84 Tory Street, Wgtn, With Ross Wilson & Lively Latin American Band “Los Andes”
Tickets from your union $30

West Coast
Blackball Museum of Working Class History Trust and Unions West Coast Mayday celebrations, May 4-5, 2007. Contact Paul Maunder, Chairperson, on wkcultur@ihug.co.nz.  Full details and programme are online here: 
www.union.org.nz/event/MaydayBlackball07

Christchurch
Saturday 28th April, 12pm
Workers Memorial Day Rally at Science Alive Reserve, Behind Hoyts 8 Theatre, Moorhouse Avenue Speakers - The Hon Ruth Dyson. Contact Karena.brown@epmu.org.nz

Dunedin
Saturday 28th April, 11.30 am
Otago Workers Memorial Market Reserve – Princes Street Dunedin. To be followed by a function at the Masonic Lodge in Manor Place. Contact jennym@nzno.org.nz
Tuesday May 1 - CTU Affiliated Unions Quiz.  Contact jennym@nzno.org.nz

Other Events and Campaigns

Ongoing throughout May: Human Rights Film Festival, Akld, Wgtn, ChCh.  Brochures in cafes around town, or
www.humanrightsfilmfest.net.nz

Workers Education Association Forum
Peter Conway, NZCTU Economist. “The Kiwi Economy - overview & current issues”.
Monday 30th April 12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Centre for Global Action, 2nd Floor, James Smiths Bldg, cnr. Cuba St & Manners Mall
Wellington.  pbolster@anet.co.nz
Black Star Books and the Autonomous Workers Union are organising a film/discussion evening on May Day 1st May, at Black Star books, Corso Building, behind Tangente, 111, Moray Place, Dunedin.  We intend to show a film and discuss workers issues.  Contact Malcolm: mdeans@gardener.com

Unions Wellington
First Friday Drinks. The regular monthly get together. After work, Friday May 4th
Brix Bar,  Abel Tasman Hotel
Cnr.Willis & Dixon Streets

Unions Manawatu & Manawatu Mayday Coalition Film Screening
The Spanish Holocaust.  Montse Armengou and Richard Belis (Spain 2003), for the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Guernica. 
2pm, Sunday 29 April 2007. Te Manawa, Main Street, Palmerston North. Entry by gold coin donation/koha.  Contact John Shennan: (06) 357 9106, email john.shennan@psa.org.nz

The Hollow Men: Our Democracy or Theirs?  CTU Public Meeting on election funding.
Tuesday, May 1, 7.30pm, Lower Lecture Theatre (behind the Clocktower Building), University of Auckland, Princes St
Nicky Hager, journalist and author of ‘The Hollow Men’; Dr Raymond Miller (University of Auckland head of Political Studies) and Laila Harré, National Secretary, National Distribution Union. www.union.org.nz/electionfunding

Building Power for Social Justice ...
PSA House, Aurora Terrace, Wellington, Tuesday 8 May 2007, 4:00-6:30 pm.
A discussion to explore ways to advance the Social Justice agenda in New Zealand by encouraging dialogue amongst groups committed to that objective, for union members and officials, Community social service organisations and community activists, Academics and tertiary students, Tangata whenua.   Will feature an interactive panel discussion exploring aspects of the topic from the perspective of participants and the panellists: Carol Beaumont, CTU, Chris Eichbaum, VUW, Bill Hamilton, Human Rights Commission and David Hanna, Wesley Community Action
Contacts: Wellington Union Educator Network
June Hoddle: june.hoddle@psa.org.nz; Suzanne McNabb: suzanne.mcnabb@aus.ac.nz; Steve Farrow: sfarrow@ppta.org.nz

CTU Meetings/Training

Learning Reps Training, for IDEA Reps,
Wednesday/Thursday 9th & 10th May, 9am-4.30pm, venue to be confirmed Christchurch & Timaru marym@nzctu.org.nz

Stage One: Partnership Programme Training-AUCKLAND 
This is an inter-union EREL approved one-day practical course for union delegates and H&S reps who are employed by companies who are in the ACC Partnership Programme (PP).  Union officials are also encouraged to attend.
23 May 2007, 9.00am to 4.00pm
Columbus Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland. More info: robl@nzctu.org.nz

CTU-ACC Workshop: WELLINGTON
This is a two-day workshop for union officials involved in ACC policy and legislation and the Accredited Employers Partnership Programme (PP).   The purpose of the workshop is to inform CTU’s ACC policy in the lead-up to the next general election.
16th-17th May 2007, 9.00am to 4.00pm
Day One: RSA, Willis Street
Day Two: CTU Boardroom, 178 Willis Street, Wellington.  More info: robl@nzctu.org.nz

Learning Reps Training, for IDEA Reps
Tuesday/Wednesday 22nd & 23rd May, 9am-4.30pm, Meeting Room, NZCTU 7th Floor, Education House, 178 Willis St, Wellington  marym@nzctu.org.nz

Learning Reps Training, for Rail & Port Workers Tuesday/Wednesday 29th & 30th May, 9am-4.30pm, venue to be confirmed Timaru marym@nzctu.org.nz

Workplace Productivity Challenge: Exploring Workplace Productivity Issues. 
Please note that the planned workshops at Napier (18 April) and Hamilton (1 May) and Rotorua (29 May) have been postponed and have been re-scheduled to later dates as listed below. There is no charge to attend the Productivity Challenge, and some assistance is available for travel and other associated costs.Remaining seminars are as follows

Thurs 3 May, 9am-4.30pm
EPMU training room, 298 Cashell St,
Christchurch EREL deadline April 19
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Apr 26
Mon 7 May, 9 am – 4.30 pm
Methodist Centre, 62 London St, Hamilton,
EREL deadline 25 April
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by April 30
Wed 16 May, 9am-4.30pm
Barge Park Showgrounds, State Highway 14,
Manu, Whangarei EREL deadline May 2
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by May 9
Thurs 31 May, 9am-4.30pm
Willowhaven, 31 Beaumont Rd, Ngongotaha,
Rotorua EREL deadline 17 May
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by May 24
Tues 5 June, 9 am – 4.30 pm
Te Manawa Museum, Palmerston North, EREL
deadline 22 May
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by May 29
Thurs 7 June, 9 am – 4.30 pm
Trade Union Centre, 2 Lipton Place, Onekawa,
Napier, EREL deadline 24 May
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by May 31
Tues 12June, 9 am – 4.30 pm
Invercargill, (venue t.b.c.), EREL deadline 29
May sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by June 5
Wed 13 June, 9 am – 4.30 pm
St Johns Hall, Wellington Central, EREL
deadline 30 May sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by June 6
More details and registration forms at: http://union.org.nz/workplaceproductivity.html

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