The productivity shell-game
Is he named for the great economist John Maynard Keynes or Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan? Either way, he speaks a lot of sense: […]
Economy
workers’ rights
Pay equity video
A short video from the NZEI from Tuesday’s pay equity rally at Parliament. There are also a bunch of photos on flickr from […]
Bill sez: ‘pay cuts for youse’
Yesterday in Question Time, Bill English sent a message loud and clear to teachers, police, doctors, nurses, and all other public servants (‘frontline’ […]
Excuses excuses
First, it was ‘we’re going to do everything we can to keep Kiwis in jobs’ Next, it was ‘yeah, OK, we haven’t done […]
Just laugh in their faces
National is overseeing the most dramatic rise in unemployment on record (yep, 2000 a week is more than the 1980s, more than the […]
Out of her depth
I wonder if Patrick Gower could keep a straight face while writing this: Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has dropped her additional Disability […]
Nats attack workers’ right to protest
I am outraged to learn that the Department of Labour told its employees they were not allowed attend the pay equity rally at […]
Pay equity protest TODAY
It’s pissing down with rain here in Wellington but the pay equity protest is going ahead. Grab your workmates and head down to […]
Labour’s labours lost
I remember just over a year ago, Helen Clark announcing that the number of people on the unemployment benefit had fallen below 18,000 […]
Don’t just stand there
John Key’s government has reacted to the thousands of job losses occurring each week in this country in much the same way a […]
Moreu on the Jobs Summit
McJobs
John Key, 20 May 2007: My legacy will be a strong New Zealand economy with higher wages, lower taxes and greater competitiveness. My […]
Asleep at the wheel
Yesterday, Goff asked Key for some evidence that his government is doing something to save jobs. Key squirmed and squirmed. Goff: What have […]
Protest for pay equity
Earlier this year the National/ACT government announced it would be closing the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit, which was set […]
I call bullshit
I’d prefer not to wade into the David Garrett sexual harrassment fiasco, but having seen his pathetic blame-shifting in the media I’ve got […]
Who pays for swine flu?
A lot of people (like a million people or more according to the experts) are set to get sick from swine flu or […]
After the shake-up
Ever growing numbers of workers aren’t playing the old game any more. Shawn Hattingh has a good piece over at znet documenting some […]
Poor Melissa, well, not so poor
She’s really trying her best. Even with only one news cycle to go, Melissa Lee is still out there, working hard to get […]
First moves on Holidays Act reform
Call me old-fashioned but the Worth scandal doesn’t really interest me much. In fact I’m of the opinion that Goff and others should […]
Air New Zealand, shame on you
In Brisbane yesterday, members of Australian transport unions took over an intersection outside AirNZ’s HQ to show their solidarity with the Zeal workers. […]
The battle and the war
It’s a bleak budget alright. No jobs package. That’s scandalous dereliction of duty. The 70,000-100,000 people who will loss their jobs this year […]
Mission accomplished
John Key famously said “we would love to see wages drop“. It sure didn’t take him long in government to see his ambition achieved. […]
Abolishing equity
National has belatedly woken up to the fact that not all Kiwis are middle aged white males, and has been trying to make […]
Bake a cake for the LWR workers
A great initiative from the National Distribution Union: With the bank (Westpac) leaving Lane Walker Rudkin workers out in the cold without their […]
Stand up for pay equity
Green MP Catherine Delahunty is running an e-card campaign to support public sector pay equity after National announced it would be cancelling pay […]
Fyfe’s model for the future
Despite four days of strike action and growing public outrage over Air New Zealand’s treatment of its Zeal320 flight attendants, CEO Rob Fyfe […]
Clean Start rally – Thursday
If you’re in Auckland on Thursday pop along to this in your lunch hour and help support low-paid cleaners: Hat tip: The Hand […]
Bosses ‘using recession’ to squeeze staff
Well that didn’t take long. Bosses ‘using recession’ to squeeze staff: Bosses being accused of using the recession to exploit workers by driving […]
From the picket line
A Zeal worker on the picket line in Wellington explains why she and her workmates are taking strike action at Air New Zealand: […]
Zeal320 strike underway
Zeal320 workers are on strike for four days from today. Ads in every major newspaper explain what they are fighting for – the […]
Bad or not too bad?
The latest unemployment figures look better than expected but appearances may be deceptive. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is up to 5.0%, lower […]
School support staff fighting for a fair deal
Cut public spending then we can have tax cuts! It’s such a nice, appealing slogan when you say it fast without engaging the […]
New Kiwi blog
Zealgirl, a blog from a Zeal flight attendant involved in the current industrial dispute at Air New Zealand. [Hat tip: The Hand Mirror]
See no evil
The Fire at Will law has been in place for two months. It’s still very early days but how is it going? Are workers […]
Public want banks pulled into line
Last week I posted on Finsec’s petition to make job protection a condition of the Government’s bank guarantees. Today Finsec are delivering that […]
National carrier? National disgrace more like
It’s a few days late but last Saturday’s Herald story about Air New Zealand preparing strikebreakers for the Zeal 320 strike this weekend […]