Open Country now assaulting workers
The Talleys-owned Open Country Cheese dispute took a new turn today after it was revealed that a senior manager, not content with just […]
Economy
Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Farmers Weekly on Open Country
Reader sent in this cartoon from the latest NZ Farmers Weekly. Things have got to be bad for Open Country when even the […]
John and Bill cost us $7 million in two months
You’ll remember that in the Budget National decided to suspend payments to the Cullen Fund, which is designed to help fund the future […]
Back into growth
The newly released figures show 0.1% growth in the June quarter. The March figure was also revised up to -0.8% (from -1.0%). Here […]
No pay freeze at the top
It seems the trend of rewarding company bosses with extravagant pay rises regardless of performance isn’t limited to Telecom’s $7 million man, Paul […]
Nat-linked company tries to bully workers
The Open Country Cheese dispute is getting nastier by the day. The workers began their eight-day strike last week. The Talley’s and National […]
No, I’ll pay, I insist
So trucking companies are unwilling to pay for the extra damage that 53 tonne trucks will do. Companies trying to privatise the gains and […]
Talking union
Eddie’s piece on the importance of joining your union if you want to avoid a pay cut reminded me of another Peter Seeger classic:
Are you worth less this year?
Right now, spurred on by the hypocritical words of Bill English and John Key, employers in the public and private sectors are saying they […]
First we sack you then we spy on you
The Sunday Star Times reports [page 4, currently offline] that Telecom has hired a private investigation company, Corporate Investigations, to spy on the […]
Open Country polluting our rivers too
The Talleys and National Party-linked Open Country Cheese is currently trying to run its factory without its workers as it attempts to bust […]
Peak metals
We’re probably all now aware of the idea of peak oil. The earth is finite, and we can’t suck an infinite amount of […]
Fed farmers frothing
A virulent attack on Greenpeace in a press release by Federated Farmers president, Don Nicholson, convinces me that Greenpeace are hitting the mark. […]
Corporate welfare
I’ve got no problem with the government helping out those who are genuinely in need but forcing the taxpayer fork out $400 million […]
Corporate bully-boys step it up a level
The Open Country Cheese dispute is underway. Workers are striking against the bosses’ attempts to casualise their hours and reduce their conditions. They […]
Photos from the Bridgeman lockout
Some photos from the picketline at Bridgeman Concrete in East Tamaki, where workers have been locked out indefinitely unless they submit to a […]
Why the Redundancy Protection Bill matters
Over at Red Alert, Darien Fenton tells the story of just one of the thousands of workers currently being laid off without redundancy […]
Lockout at Bridgeman Concrete
Last week I wrote: We’re seeing a new pattern in work relations emerging. The big employers, emboldened by having their party in power […]
What next, Soylent Green?
The Wall Street financiers crapped out on their sub-prime gambles, inflicting economic devastation on the taxpayers who generously bailed-them out in return. Now, […]
Taxpayer shafted again
National seems to be making a bit of a habit of shafting the taxpayer. Before the election we were promised significant tax cuts, […]
A hollow gesture
Some good comments from CTU president Helen Kelly in the Dom today on the Government’s posturing over MP pay increases. “The Government is […]
Says it all
From the firefighters’ protest against John Key’s pay freeze: Really highlights the double standard in a government that tolerates Bill English’s rorts then […]
Another lagging indicator
The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services has released its annual Vulnerability Report. Due to rising unemployment, 219,000 children now live in households […]
No good faith from Nats
Finance Minister Bill English has told doctors, teachers, and other public servants that they will not be getting pay-raises when their collective contracts […]
Just put it away
I know this free condoms idea is just a remit, not Labour Party policy, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that the […]
Which side are you on?
Following on from the workers’ rights/class war theme of the last few days, here’s an old classic:
Labour needs to get back to its roots
Goff is using Labour’s national conference to swallow some dead rats, distancing himself and the party from the social reform agenda of the […]
Redundancy protection – it’s only fair
A coalition of unions, Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party, and community groups has come together to support Darian Fenton’s Redundancy Protection Bill. […]
Battlelines
We’re seeing a new pattern in work relations emerging. The big employers, emboldened by having their party in power and using the recession […]
National-linked dairy company threatens six week lockout
There’s a nasty dispute brewing at Open Country Cheese involving a six week lockout threat, some highly aggressive anti-union PR, calls for the […]
Time for Telecom to come to its senses
Today, 200 Telecom engineers in Auckland and Northland will be fired. Not because there’s no work for them but because Telecom and it’s […]
Brash and Banks try to profit off vulnerable
Former National Party leader Dr Don Brash and Auckland Mayor John Banks love making the big bucks. And what better way to do […]
Telecom solidarity fundraiser
Socialist Aotearoa have organised a Telecom solidarity fundraiser on Friday night. Not for $7m man Paul Reynolds, but for the lines engineers his […]
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
The economists think the recession is probably over (for now). If you’re one of the lucky ones, you may very well be thinking ‘well […]
Currency too high, recovery could falter – Fed Farmers
“I’d really like to know what Treasury is on for it to be so bullish about the economy, as it must be good […]
Backdown from Infratil?
Infratil-run NZ Bus has called off its planned capital strike for tomorrow. The company had been going to prevent bus drivers and other […]