Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 32 comments
The Hobbit dispute is being run to a very familiar playbook.
Let’s have a look at the employers’ tactics and what the union can do to counter them.
Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 31 comments
As you sit there reading this, think about how industrial action is growing across the country – Secondary teachers, Junior Doctors, Radiographers, State Servants, Actors. There is a lot more to come as National and business try to force wages down. Do you want to wait for them to come for you?
Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 62 comments
Remember how John Key used to talk about GST? Here is a video reminding everyone of the past before he did his usual flip-flop to favour the rich while increasing costs on most people. The GST increase and the consequent inflation will make almost everyone worse off unless they are wealthy enough to bribe the NACT’s.
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 46 comments
Peter Jackson’s in the paper today whining about being denied entry to a union meeting.
There’s a really simple reason for that – union meetings are for union members, not for employers.
Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 16 comments
The fifth of 6 in a series summarising the argument of The Spirit Level. This post looks at how a more equal society may also be a more sustainable one.
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, October 1st, 2010 - 79 comments
For a long, time National and the Right have tried to convince us that all we need is tax cuts. You can understand why: their other policies are deeply unpopular, cutting taxes is a roundabout way of cutting public services, which they hate, and tax cuts deliver the most to their wealthy base. So will we see any actual benefits from the great tax swindle?
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 pm, September 30th, 2010 - 22 comments
A Capitalist Ten Commandments.
Do unto others…
Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 30th, 2010 - 23 comments
John Key tells a businesswoman he “would love to see wages drop“. National makes sub-inflation minimum wage increase. National makes no effort to bring unemployment back down. Unemployment chokes wage rises. National attacks unions, the biggest driver of wage rises. Wage gap with Australia widens National opposes pay increases for teachers, medical techs, doctors,… National […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, September 30th, 2010 - 112 comments
Arts Minister Chris Finlayson has backed the Hobbit producers’ refusal to negotiate with Kiwi workers.
He’s citing a Crown Law opinion that backs Jackson’s claim he can’t negotiate with workers collectively.
But he’s deliberately asked a very narrow question to get the answer he wants – an answer he’s using to back foreign big business over the rights of Kiwi workers.
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 30th, 2010 - 30 comments
Danyl over at DimPost has produced an excellent graph of the gains from National’s Tax Swindle. It uses the Government’s figures, it is generous in showing average rather than median incomes…
And it doesn’t look good for average kiwis.
Written By: - Date published: 6:45 am, September 30th, 2010 - 66 comments
Despite Bill English’s firm statement that “unemployment has peaked”, jobs are still being lost in large numbers. 1500 council workers in Auckland. 150 mushroom workers in Morrinsville. 500 workers whose quake hit employers are closing down in Christchurch. From John Key’s Hawaiian beach chair these worries must seem very far away.
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, September 29th, 2010 - 73 comments
Bernard Hickey, one of the country’s leading economic commentators, was a hardline neo-liberal – ie. the market is god. Now, he’s changed his mind. He’s come to the realisation that there’s no invisible god’s hand directing capitalist markets. Instead they are directed by short-termist elites. We need to take back control.
Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, September 29th, 2010 - 36 comments
I thought Peter Jackson was an ordinary guy made good who hadn’t let success make him an elitist prick. I was wrong. New Zealand taxpayers contributed hundreds of millions to his <em>Lord of the Rings</em> trilogy and what thanks do we get? Threats of capital flight, which will probably soon be followed by demands for taxpayer subsidies.
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, September 29th, 2010 - 18 comments
Peter Jackson and others film industry employers are claiming they can’t employ their workers as employees.
That claim is simply untrue.
So what’s the real reason for their reluctance to employee people on proper agreements?
Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, September 28th, 2010 - 52 comments
While the cat’s away the mice will play. And while the clown’s sunning himself in Hawaii the ideologues in his Cabinet will launch vitriolic attacks on public service workers. As teachers are forced to endure another day of the country’s most powerful figures attack them, lets consider the consequences of undermining vital public services.
Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, September 28th, 2010 - 40 comments
It’s worth having a look at Bill English’s performance on Q+A the other day. What’s telling, to my mind, is that English can’t present a real vision or even any spin-free information. Why not? Because his tax swindle is about taking from us and giving to the elite, and he can’t just come and say that.
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 28th, 2010 - 101 comments
Life isn’t hard enough already for solo parents, according to the Nats. So they’re going to make it harder.
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, September 28th, 2010 - 12 comments
While the Anglo – Saxon or English speaking left seems unable to shake a deep malaise that began afflicting it some thirty years ago, the left in the Spanish speaking world is making some remarkable strides forward.
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 pm, September 27th, 2010 - 53 comments
The MEAA has responded to Peter Jacksons Tirade.
And it looks like he’s not been very straight-up about how the situation got to this.
Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, September 27th, 2010 - 113 comments
No Right Turn has covered todays announcement about policy changes for GST on fruit and vegetables. Since it is pretty comprehensive we will reproduce the two posts here.
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, September 27th, 2010 - 154 comments
The voluntary student union membership bill is based on a false premise, and a reflexive tory hatred for the word “union”. I have a suggestion for students…
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, September 27th, 2010 - 99 comments
Film workers in New Zealand have been exploited for years
Now their union is standing up for them.
And Sir Peter Jackson is throwing a tantrum about it.
Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, September 26th, 2010 - 18 comments
Matt McCarten’s website for who to pick for a progressive Super City is finally up. If you’re in Auckland and haven’t voted yet – make sure to have a look.
Written By: - Date published: 2:59 pm, September 25th, 2010 - 7 comments
4 out of 7 of Switzerland’s cabinet are now women – a progressive surprise from a conservative country.
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, September 25th, 2010 - 40 comments
The fourth of 6 in a series summarising the argument of The Spirit Level. This post examines how inequality affects education, social mobility and teenage pregnancies.
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, September 25th, 2010 - 37 comments
The idea of The Chinese Century has been around for a long time now. But a couple of articles that caught my eye recently make me think that the start of that century is well and truly upon us.
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, September 24th, 2010 - 36 comments
The third of 6 in a series summarising the argument of The Spirit Level. This post examines how inequality affects crime and our attitudes to others.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, September 24th, 2010 - 89 comments
So. If you’re too poor to afford house insurance and you’re left homeless by an act of god, the government won’t help you.
But if you’re rich enough to own a farm, then one year you get hit by an act of god, the government will come running to your aid.
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, September 24th, 2010 - 22 comments
“I also want to pay a special acknowledgement to my friend and deputy, Bill English. What a great job he is doing as Finance Minister. He’s delivered two Budgets that have steered New Zealand out of recession and put the economy firmly back on track to grow and create jobs”. Or has he?…
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, September 24th, 2010 - 30 comments
The suspension of normal democratic processes in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake should be an occasion to pause for thought in the light of likely future events.
Written By: - Date published: 1:12 pm, September 23rd, 2010 - 54 comments
The latest GDP figures are awful. the Reserve Bank had predicted 0.9% growth in the June Quarter. It came in at 0.2% – far worse than anyone expected and slower than population growth. The Key Government’s reaction? Deny there’s a problem and spin, spin, spin.
Recent Comments