National Council of Women open letter to John Key
The text of an open letter from the National Council of Women to John Key about his treatment of waitresses.
Economy
workers’ rights
International laughing stock
John Key has finally achieved the world fame he has clearly always wanted, but not in a good way. Here’s a roundup of the international coverage of his harassment.
Reaction to harassed waitress story
Some of the reaction from Twitter.
My Little Ponytail
A really strange story has appeared on The Daily Blog. It claims to be a first person account of PM John Key regularly physically harrassing a staff member in his local cafe over the summer. While it may be much ado about nothing, the Prime Minister really should tell NZ his side of the story. Or resign if it’s true.
Update: It’s true. Key’s office has confirmed the harassment.
Attack on Unite
“Unite Union’s office robbed, trashed”. WTF?
Michael Woodhouse: a fool or a liar?
When the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety doesn’t know the first thing about his portfolio, there’s only one option left: he’s lying.
Dear Maccas, Burger King and Wendys, about those zero hour contracts
Following its success in persuading Restaurant Brands to do away with zero hour contracts Unite Union has set up a webpage where people can email these organisations.
Restaurant Brands to end zero hour contracts
Unite has achieved a significant victory by persuading Restaurant Brands to do away with zero hour contracts and to guarantee minimum working hours for staff.
Victory for the workers at Cotton On
FIRST Union has announced the ratification of the first ever collective agreement for workers at Cotton On.
Woodhouse: tough on bad employers?
Michael Woodhouse is talking tough on bad employers … but what does it really mean, coming from this government?
Kiwis Stand Up To Corporate Bully
Cotton On’s act of provocation is matched in its cynicism only by the company’s contempt for the negotiation process. While attempting to feign an understanding of how the new law actually works, Cotton On simultaneously may also have breached the newly amended sections 4 and 32 of the ERA
On poverty, parenting, and Paula
In times of trouble for the National Party, you can always rely on them to raise the rallying cry of “Personal responsibility!!!”
Cottoning on to new ways of exploiting workers
Cotton On has become the first employer in the news for trying to take away its workers’ rest breaks.
The rich want to hide their wealth because of kidnap threats
The Liberal National Party Coalition in Australia want to overturn a requirement for corporations with a turnover of $100 million to disclose tax information on the grounds that kidnapping will occur even though the rich’s ostentatiousness is plain to see without the information being published. And in America it has been estimated that Wall Street’s bonus pool is twice the amount paid to full time American employees living on the minimum wage.
The “Brighter future”.
Labour, in 1984, with Richard Prebble and Roger Douglas, promised that if we adopted their prescription we would have a “Brighter Future”. Ruth Richardson in the 90’s promised a “Brighter Future”. Again in 2014 John Key’s National promises a “Brighter Future”.
A “Brighter Future”. For whom?
International travel perks for the people who got us into this mess?
The blogosphere leads the way in breaking a story about yet another sack of cash for MPs …
Gender pay gap still growing – of course
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. In New Zealand the gender pay gap is growing – perhaps because National abolished the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit.
Anti TPPA Rallies this Saturday
For details of protest action nearest to you check out the itsourfuture website.
Dita de Boni on zero-hour contracts
When Michael Woodhouse and the bosses’ lobby are talking about “workplace flexibility”, you know who’s flexing their muscles.
What has Michael Woodhouse actually got right about employment relations?
For someone responsible for managing employment relations in New Zealand, Michael Woodhouse doesn’t seem to understand what “employment relations” means.
Expect more zero-hours crisis cases
Today is not a good day for workers. Employment law changes that take effect today weaken workers’ rights and will result in more cases of zero-hour contract “excesses”. Labour’s Iain Lees-Galloway has been doing good work on this issue (sign the petition). In contrast National’s position now appears confused, with Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse acknowledging problems even as today’s changes make matters worse.
Nats getting squeamish on zero hour contracts
Zero hour contracts are the logical end point of National’s agenda for employment legislation. But last night Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse promised legislation to “prohibit the worst excesses”. “Excesses” in the free market – who would have thought?
Dim-Post on *that* $168k cake story
Danyl at the Dim-Post has looked more closely at the decision to award a worker $168k over a cake and a Facebook post – and what it tells us about National’s employment law reforms.
Key folds on pay rises
Key has folded on MPs’ pay rises. Vernon Small and others are covering events on Twitter.
Brassneck
The release of the candidate donation returns has shown us that the National Party are still rorting the system. However, there are issues for the NZ Labour Party as well. Four MP’s have taken money from sources that do not have the interests of the Labour party or, indeed, the majority of Kiwis at heart. Brassneck or bought and sold?
Andrew Little; leadership, loyalty and lasting the distance.
Its 100 days since the NZ Labour Party elected Andrew Little as its leader. What an inspired decision that has turned out to be! Little has galvanised the party, united the caucus and looks set to be the next PM. How has he turned Labour around?
The Continuing Fight for Justice at Pike River
Yesterday the families lost only a small bit of the battle for justice at Pike in an application to get some of the documentation on the Peter Whittall decision. It is clear from the decision that the process of filing itself caused MBIE to agree to release a number of the key documents.
The right to strike
Celebrate International Right to Strike Day on 18 February by sending a message to Kiwi employers: stop undermining our right to strike!
Labour takes a stand against zero-hour contracts
Zero-hour contracts are the perfect illustration of when “flexibility” in employment relations goes all one way.
The lie about productivity and wages
The Productivity Commission has a new report out which looks at changes in the labour income share, or LIS, from 1978 to 2010. […]
AFFCO Talley’s and Jobs That Count
Darien Fenton at Jobs That Count brings us the details of the fight for decent pay and conditions at Talley’s meat processing plants
Unemployment up
We need a much better analysis of what kinds of jobs and conditions are out there in NZ, crude figures are not telling us enough.
The Northland by-election
A by-election is imminent – so how does Labour win in a safe National seat?
Labour’s plan vs National’s plan
The choice is clear.
Daniel Rockhouse: “No one was there to meet them…”
A July 2013 post by Helen Kelly was about Daniel Rockhouse who survived the Pike River Mine disaster, and then rescued Russell Smith. Yesterday Daniel Rockhouse got a bravery award. Read Kelly’s 2013 post here.
Guest Post: from a Fairy Godmother
How can young unemployed people get help in finding a job, when they have been trying to get one for some time?