Grid of posts 2×3

  • Hobbit hysteria bill

    Today the government is rushing through a law change designed to stymie film workers’ attempts to bargain collectively. Under the Employment Relations (Film Production Work) Amendment Bill  workers employed in film production work will by default be ‘independent contractors’ rather than employees. This will prevent them bargaining collectively as prescribed under the ERA. It also Read more

  • Great article on the Hobbit dispute

    Herald columnist Brian Rudman’s article on the Hobbit dispute is one of the best written on the subject. He manages to capture every aspect of this dispute – the anti-union stuff, the spoilt brat Jackson, the toadying and grovelling part of the NZ national character, the feudal-like carry-on, and the patronising sexism towards Malcolm and Read more

  • Matt McCarten for Mana

    Matt McCarten, leader of Unite union, has announced today he’s standing in the Mana (Wellington) by-election. Formerly the Alliance party president, Matt has plenty of experience in running electoral campaigns. But his real strength lies in his hands-on experience in fighting for workers’ rights. That is a rare thing in politics these days, where parliament Read more

  • Kiwis are birds mate!

    Militant unionism and patriotism have never really got on. Film maker Peter Jackson concluded his Labour Day attack on unions with the claim: “Turning us into another state of Australia under the sway of a destructive organisation carries the very real risk of destroying the great big heart that beats inside our films. I believe Read more

  • Workers Party statement on the Hobbit dispute

    An actors’ union attempt to negotiate better work conditions has sparked the most heated class struggle in recent memory. The workers’ initial claims were modest. As the latest Actors Equity newsletter puts it, the union: … has been working to improve performers’ terms and conditions in the screen industry for some time now. We have Read more

  • The Hobbit union witch hunt

    In the next issue of The Spark we’ll have an article about the Hobbit dispute. In the meantime, here are some comments from The Spark and Workers Party discussion groups over the past week. The Hobbit union witch hunt continues apace, now with the threat of new anti worker laws. We used to get stick Read more