Socialist media project based in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia
Mike Kay
The Spark July 2009
The March edition of The Spark carried a report of some inspiring class struggles by workers across Europe. Regrettably, that resistance has found very little political expression in the recent elections for the European Parliament. Support for far-right parties has surged, against a backdrop of the lowest ever turnout for a Euro-election, with just 43% bothering to vote.
Unite union has launched a campaign in workplaces and communities for a national referendum on the issue of a $15 minimum wage. In this early stage of the campaign, Workers Party activists and other leftists are hitting the streets and public events to help gather the signatures to force the referendum. Here are some interesting comments, reports, and examples from the campaign on the ground.
In April, we reported on vote for industrial action at VT Fitzroy Devonport, Auckland. Workers were adamant that they could do better than the company’s “best offer”, and put in place an overtime ban. (They are members of the EPMU, PSA and Amalgamated Workers Union). After just two weeks, they recieved an improved offer which was acceptable to the majority of the union membership.
Although there was no change in the pay offer of the first year of the Collective Agreement (3.3%), the second year
offer was increased to 4%. The claim for reinstatement of the historic Confined Space allowance wasn’t won this time,
but there were gains in other areas, such as enhancements to the “Working on ships not along side” allowance.
The lesson is clear: A little bit of militancy gets us a little bit extra!
The Spark June 2009
Air New Zealand flight attendants working for Zeal 320 Ltd took industrial action beginning in March. After months of unsuccessful negotiations between Zeal and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), the 240 union members employed as flight attendants decided they had had enough. The workers, most of whom are young women with no previous union experience, are employed by Zeal 320 Ltd but work for Air New Zealand. They wear the same uniforms, fly on the same aircraft and are in every respect exactly the same as flight attendants employed directly by Air New Zealand – except in their employment contracts.
Zeal 320 Ltd, a wholly Air New Zealand owned subsidiary, was set up to employ staff on the now defunct cut price Freedom Air. When Freedom Air was absorbed into its parent company, the staff were kept on their Zeal contracts, meaning that they earn thousands of dollars less every year than their co-workers employed directly by Air New Zealand. Zeal staff are employed on a lower base rate than Air New Zealand staff. They are denied many basic allowances such as dry cleaning and other clothing related compensation that people on Air New Zealand contracts receive. The allowances they do receive are generally lower than the Air New Zealand equivalents. [Read more…]
Workers Party activists collected around 100 signatures for Unite’s campaign for a hike in the Minimum Wage at Auckland’s Otara Flea Market today.
Many of the signers remarked how they would personally benefit from raising the rate to $15 per hour – which would result in a pay increase for some 450,000 workers in New Zealand. It was an encouraging start to the year-long campaign to get the 300,000 signatures necessary to force a referendum on the issue.
Workers Party activists in Christchurch and Wellington have also been collecting hundreds of signatures at stalls and in workplaces.
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