December, 2005

The Council of Trade Unions is asking New Zealanders to spare a thought for those working on Christmas day and other public holidays this summer break.

"While the majority of us enjoy the Christmas and New Year break with friends and families let's spare a thought for the thousands of workers at work on the Christmas and New Year holidays," said CTU Secretary Carol Beaumont.

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As this is the final edition of the Unionist this year, we'd like to offer our warm wishes for a safe and happy festive season. The Unionist will be taking a break for summer, and will return in late January.

"Government's lifting of the adult minimum wage by 75 cents is an important step towards a minimum wage of twelve dollars an hour," said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President.

"The CTU says that now is the time for companies and their representatives to get on with the business of business, rather than trying to talk down the economy and dwell on perceived restrictions that government or others impose on them," said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President.

The Council of Trade Unions is critical of the lack of progress made in the latest World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting, which concluded in Hong Kong over the weekend."These talks were clearly aimed at making only a few modest steps while trying to convince everyone that it is really now a development round," said CTU Economist Peter Conway, who was at the Hong Kong meetings.

"While progress was good on key issues such as an end date for export subsidies, tariff and duty free access for least developed countries, aid for trade, and cotton, the talks fell a long way short of any real progress on market access in agriculture or the much bigger levels of domestic subsidies," said Peter Conway.

"It was also a real disappointment that there was no progress at all in addressing union issues such as decent work, employment effects of trade liberalisation and reference to labour standards," said Peter Conway.

"The CTU would like to see the Government play a more prominent role in the ongoing negotiations on these issues as well as demonstrate that our commitment to genuine development for developing countries goes beyond agriculture, and also extends to ensuring that these countries do not pay a heavy price in liberalising their services and industrial sectors in order to make gains in agriculture," said Peter Conway.

In non-agricultural market access in areas such as clothing import tariffs, Peter Conway said the negotiations for a free trade deal with China poses a much more significant threat to New Zealand than the text agreed in Hong Kong in this WTO round.

"However in services, it has been obvious that there are a number of countries pushing the pace on services liberalisation," said Peter Conway. "New Zealand has attempted to establish a group around export education which is a major concern. This would risk education services featuring more prominently in future services negotiations."

Peter Conway said that the Government guidelines on services negotiations could be seriously tested next year as the "GATS" negotiations unfold.

In Hong Kong, unions worked alongside many developing countries and Non Governmental Organisations to roll back some of the worst parts of the text on services. Peter Conway said that unions participated in protest marches as well as lobbying inside the conference.

The Unionist this week reports on the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting taking place in Hong Kong.

"Nurses are an essential element of the government's primary health care strategy, and the work they do needs to be valued and rewarded appropriately," said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President today.

"Here to work ? want to work" was the catch cry of a group of local government workers who were this morning locked out of their workplaces by their employers.

The workers, members of the Public Service Association, were prevented from returning to worksites at the Invercargill City Council and the Gore District Council, after their employers locked them out for the remainder of the week.

"This is an unnecessary overreaction from the employer", said Ross Wilson, Council of Trade Unions President. "These workers were offered an inadequate pay increase of 3%, and made the decision to take industrial action on Tuesday. To then find out they have been locked out for the remainder of the week is a kick in the teeth."

"These workers want to be back at work," said Ross Wilson. "The local authorities in Southland need to come back to the bargaining table in good faith with a decent offer."

The workers took industrial action on Tuesday after negotiations for the renewal of their multi employer collective agreement broke down. Their claim was for 4.5 for twelve months, and the retention of the multi employer agreement, which covers the four territorial local authorities in Southland.

New Zealand Government Ministers Jim Sutton and Phil Goff used a meeting with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in Hong Kong yesterday to outline the governments continuing commitment to seek better recognition of labour issues in trade negotiations, Peter Conway, Council of Trade Unions Economist said.

"The working conditions of kindergarten teachers create the learning conditions, and employer moves to significantly increase teacher contact time will negatively impact on teaching and learning in our kindergartens," said Ross Wilson, CTU President.

"Higher interests rates are pushing up the dollar, increasing the cost of investment and will affect jobs in the export sector," Council of Trade Unions Economist Peter Conway said today.

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Union counter proposal to Air New Zealand released today

The Council of Trade Unions will be campaigning for political party support for Green MP Sue Bradford's private members bill abolishing youth rates, which was drawn from the ballot in Parliament this afternoon.

The Council of Trade Unions is calling on Air New Zealand management to take seriously the union counter proposal on the future of 617 heavy maintenance engineers. The proposal, a substantial report developed with nationally recognised expertise, will be released tomorrow morning to Air New Zealand management and the public, by the Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association.

"We need to see the best outcome for New Zealand, and this decision is one that should not be rushed," said Ross Wilson, CTU President. "We are urging the company to take the proposal seriously, and to take time to properly consider it. Government, as majority shareholder, also has a role to play in ensuring the board of Air New Zealand follows good process on this matter."

"I met with Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe earlier this week and specifically asked him to engage properly and investigate the options that will be presented by the unions tomorrow," said Ross Wilson.

"New Zealanders are watching this decision closely," said Ross Wilson. "The issue is whether Air New Zealand will act in New Zealand's interest in retaining an engineering maintenance capacity and its highly skilled workforce, or disregard our national interest by giving consideration to short term financial returns only."

"Rural based home care workers face significant financial pressures and the CTU supports the campaign to secure reimbursement of their travel costs," said Carol Beaumont, Council of Trade Unions Secretary.