THE UNIONIST: Workers before profits; CTU-govt forum; IR conference out of tune

The Unionist this week reports on the CTU's call for companies to put workers ahead of profits, following redundancy announcements from two high profile companies yesterday.  We also report on two CTU-Government forums, and a recent industrial relations conference. 

Call to put workers before profits 

The Council of Trade Unions this week called on companies to put workers ahead of profits, following redundancy announcements from two high profile companies yesterday.

ANZ National yesterday announced plans to outsource up to 500 positions in India, and Fisher and Paykel announced that 430 workers would be made redundant as it shifted production from its Mosgiel factory to Mexico.  Dunedin's Tamahine Knitwear also announced the closure of its factory, affecting 50 staff.

Commenting on the ANZ National decision, CTU president Helen Kelly said that it showed the company had no commitment to the New Zealand workforce and community.

“Despite making huge profits out of New Zealand citizens, ANZ National is disregarding their skilled workforce and the community in favour of short term financial returns to shareholders.”

“New Zealanders will quickly tire of large foreign owned banks who make multimillion dollar profits off the back of New Zealand but ditch their workers the moment there is a whiff of extra money to be made.”

Finsec campaigns director Andrew Campbell today called on ANZ National to put its money where its mouth is and make a series of broad commitments to staff, customers and communities affected by its proposal, saying that the bank had been avoiding scrutiny of their offshoring proposal by making vague statements about all affected staff being offered a job.

“ANZ National needs to back up it’s spin on the offshoring of up to 500 jobs to Bangalore and make a series of concrete commitments guaranteeing permanent jobs to affected staff and guaranteeing growth in overall jobs as it said yesterday it intended to do,” said Campbell.

“The bank may say that they will be able to offer everyone a job, but we know they are going to be very different jobs with different skills and often different pay. The least the bank can do is give affected workers some concrete guarantees they will not be disadvantaged by the proposal,” he said.  The 6 commitments finsec are seeking are here.

In response to Fisher and Paykel's redundancy announcement yesterday, Helen Kelly said:

“The company’s announcement should be seen for what it is – a move to make redundant hundreds of skilled workers in order to maximise profits by shifting production to countries where labour is cheap. This move will take a heavy toll on Mosgiel and the wider Dunedin community.  These were good jobs that didn’t need to be lost.”

She said that the announcement reinforced the need for an acceleration of investment in modernisation, infrastructure and skills in New Zealand.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union said that Fisher & Paykel was closing its plant in Dunedin because it wants cheap labour.

"When Fisher & Paykel talk about compliance costs they really mean the cost of providing decent standards to their staff such as proper health and safety and fair wages, all of which are core Kiwi values but by making this move they are ensuring their products no longer represent these values," EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little said.

He said that rather than being properly consulted on this decision, the union told about the impending decision of the board last week, and when the union asked what could be done to keep the work in New Zealand received no answer. The union will start a consultation process now which is contained in the collective agreement.

"We will also be looking to the international trade union movement for information and advice about conditions in Mexico and measuring conditions there against conditions here," Andrew Little said.

The CTU yesterday also highlighted changes to monetary policy it has recently proposed, to relieve pressure on the exchange rate and reduce interest rates.

The CTU argues that the Official Cash Rate (OCR) should not have to be the main tool to address inflation, and that the Reserve Bank Act should be amended and the Policy Targets Agreement reworded with specific reference to the impact of a high exchange rate on export performance and employment. Monetary policy decisions should also be the responsibility of the Board of the Reserve Bank, rather than the governor alone.

More coverage on both these stories is here on the scoop.co.nz website, and click here to see an interview with EPMU and finsec representatives on TV3 this morning.

Twentieth CTU-Government forum sees the format shift to provincial areas

50 workers in Wanganui turned out last night to meet with the Prime Minister and other ministers, in the 20th CTU-Government forum since 2002.

The CTU-Government Forum provides union delegates with an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and key Ministers to debate policy issues of importance to people in the workplace.  The forums have been held in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hamilton and Auckland.

Last night’s forum marked a shift into provincial New Zealand, with Wanganui being the first forum held outside the main centres. 

A day earlier, 140 workers met with the PM and other ministers at the Wellington CTU-Government forum.

Industrial relations conference foreign to the vision of work unions are promoting

Very rarely do I despair but my recent experience addressing a conference of industrial relations (IR) specialists made me take to the gin (a depressive in itself I understand!), CTU president Helen Kelly said in a column this week. 

Billed as New Zealand’s Premier IR Conference, its programme was foreign to the vision of work unions are promoting, and to be fair the type of discussions we now have with business organizations such as Business NZ.  The disjoint between the programme and the future of good IR practice is very concerning to those interested in building a high wage, high skill productive economy, and in fairness it is probably standard fare for this type of conference – but it is time to change!

In the two days of the conference participants included such enlightened topics as containing union access, how to fire an employee, managing “claims” of stress  (but not managing stress itself!), a case study of Air NZ IR – employer version only, dealing with problematic employees, using employment agreements to manage risk and managing strikes.

Only two weeks earlier unions met in Rotorua to discuss the future of work in this country.  We considered how to continue our work contributing to modern workplaces which are productive, high skilled, high wage, decent and fair places to work.  We want to continue to work with business and government together to develop this concept – hopefully reaching agreement on what that workplace will look like, what more is required to achieve it and what the roles of the three parties might be. 

Click here to read the full column, published in this week in the Dominion Post.

Weekly Events Calendar

Unions Local - remaining meetings in April

Unions Auckland
Wed 23 April, 4pm
Trades Hall, 147 Gt Nth Rd.
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Unions Waikato
Wed 23 April, 5.15m
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
waikatotuc@xtra.co.nz

Unions Northland
Tue 29 April, 4pm
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Other Events and Campaigns

Workers Memorial Day
Workers Memorial Day is on April 28th each year and is the day when we “mourn for the dead, but fight for the living”, drawing attention to the plight of the hundreds of New Zealand workers who still die every year as a result of their work.   As they come in, events are being added to this page on the CTU website: http://union.org.nz/campaigns/workersmemorialday.  Visit this page for details of events in your area.

Unions Otago May Day Quiz Evening
Thursday 1st May, starts 7.00 pm
Downstairs at the Duke of Wellington Bar, 1 Queens Gardens – The Exchange
jennym@nzno.org.nz

May Day - Auckland
* March on May 1st for InternationalWorkers Day
5:00pm Rally @ Britomart - open microphone, (Corner of Customs and Queen Streets), 5:30pm March up to Queen Street to Aotea Square to hear keynote speakers
* May Day Dinner will take place on Saturday 3 May, starting at 6.00pm at the Onehunga RSA, dinner will be served at 7.30pm, with short speeches and entertainment.  There will be a cash bar, the bar prices are extremely reasonable and affordable (at club prices). 
linda.holt@psa.org.nz

Manawatu MayDay Concert
The 14th annual Manawatu MayDay Concert, celebrating International Workers Day, will be held at 7.30pm Saturday 3 May at the Regent Theatre in Palmerston North. Its a great night of fun and solidarity in the form of song, music, dance and performance art from union, community groups and individuals from throughout NZ. Entry fee is a mere gold coin donation thanks to major support by the NZCTU. For more info contact dion.martin@ndu.org.nz

Unions Wellington May Day Dinner
From 6:30 p.m, Thursday May 1st
Grand Century Restaurant
Tickets from your Union - $30 [includes dinner, plus Live Latin Band & Cash Bar]

Workers Education Association
"The Politics of Debt" Forums
Monday April 21st 12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Kay Weir, Editor, "Pacific Ecologist" - Are we "In debt to nature" ?
W E A Rooms, 3rd Floor, Anvil House, 138 Wakefield Street, Wellington
pbolster@anet.co.nz

CTU Meetings, Training

Maori Models of Organising - Nga Momo Whakaritenga
6 courses commencing in July across the country. Details will be advised closer to the time, but early enquiries to helent@nzctu.org.nz or 09-303-9018.

Workplace Productivity Challenge Workshop
There is no charge to attend the Productivity Challenge which is an EREL-approved course. Financial assistance is available for travel, wage reimbursement (if not on EREL or other leave) and other associated costs. There are places available in the following 2 workshops - Register now for one of these workshops:
- Thursday 22 May 2008, 9 am - 4.30 pm - Manukau, South Auckland
- We are now seeking expressions of interest for workshops to be held
 Whangarei on 9 June and
 North Shore later in June.

Dates for 2008 workshops and Registration forms for these workshops are on the CTU website. If you wish to register interest in a future workshop please tell us your name and location and details of how to contact you. We will cater to demand and arrange something to suit you if you cannot find a location that suits you.
Email Sandy - productivity@nzctu.org.nz.
Check out the WPEP website for more information: http://union.org.nz/workplaceproductivity.html