The Standard

workers’ rights

Categories under workers’ rights

Gender Pay Gap: Average Wage Graph telling

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, January 15th, 2016 - 76 comments

Now maybe it’s because I’m a bloke, but looking at this graph I couldn’t help but think: wouldn’t it be better to close the pay gap for women by increasing their wages rather than decreasing men’s?

How to improve pay gender equality

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, January 15th, 2016 - 17 comments

It’s been a hardy annual finding of late – the pay gap between males and females is getting steadily worse. History suggests that Labour governments have some answers…

The mantra of ‘Poor Choices’

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, December 12th, 2015 - 195 comments

It is that time of year when poor people realise just how poor they really are – the season for giving, the season to be jolly. Well that may be so for some of us, but some people will be working on Christmas day instead of spending time with loved ones. These will probably be […]

Use of Teach First (NZ) illegal

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, December 7th, 2015 - 113 comments

To date, TeachFirst(NZ) has received more than $6.4 million dollars of public money and, as a result, has infested 18 schools with dozens of so-called “teachers”.

Deportee

Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, December 2nd, 2015 - 103 comments

Standard Exclusive:

Te Reo Putake interviews one of the first batch of deportees from Australia under the Liberal Government’s hardline approach to Kiwis who serve jail time in the lucky country.

Chris Cairns: Song of the Tall Poppy

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, December 1st, 2015 - 111 comments

The Chris Cairns trial verdict seems to have surprised Kiwis. And some people don’t seem to want to accept he is not a match fixer. Are we that fooled by modern media that our usual decency and sense of fair play has deserted us?

Jarrod Gilbert is tilting at windmills

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, November 27th, 2015 - 38 comments

The Official Information Act is now moribund and access to information beyond its scope is granted only to a chosen few and under strict conditions.

Andrew Little on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, November 20th, 2015 - 54 comments

The fifth anniversary of the Pike River disaster has just occurred. This post records some comments made by Andrew Little on his recollection of the day after.

AFFCO workers win

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, November 18th, 2015 - 23 comments

A win for workers at the Wairoa freezing works with a lockout ruled illegal.

Paying a generous wage

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, November 1st, 2015 - 116 comments

Well paid staff are happy, productive staff. Who’d have thought it!

Food Bank Charity

Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, October 30th, 2015 - 97 comments

Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.

Labour Day – won by workers

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 26th, 2015 - 99 comments

labour-day-305

How America is killing the middle class

Written By: - Date published: 1:48 pm, October 23rd, 2015 - 11 comments

A short film from AJ+ which clearly describes what has gone wrong in the US since the 1980s.  The film is just as relevant for New Zealand.

The equal pay initiative

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, October 22nd, 2015 - 17 comments

After twice killing off pay equity legislation (2009, 1990), National have been forced to confront the issue again.

Helen Kelly’s speech to the CTU Conference

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 14th, 2015 - 16 comments

Speech notes from Helen Kelly’s address to the CTU Conference given today where she talks about the importance of the union movement and some of the achievements she has been involved in over the past few years.

Anat Shenker-Osorio on the creation of left metaphors

Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, October 11th, 2015 - 69 comments

Communications Anat Shenker-Osorio has some simple messages for Labour in its quest for Government.  The left’s strongest advantage is its care for people rather than the economy and the message that will resonate is a positive one emphasising the care of people and the environment.

Unions good for society and economy

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, October 11th, 2015 - 39 comments

Great post on the UK based NEF Blog: Don’t be fooled, dismantling the rights of workers is not good for you, or for the economy.

Go well Helen Kelly

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, October 8th, 2015 - 60 comments

Helen is standing down from her role as President of the CTU due to health reasons, but will remain active supporting union causes.

Greetings E Tū Union

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, October 7th, 2015 - 40 comments

E Tū Union, the amalgamation of the EPMU and the Service and Foodworkers Union has formally launched.

Launch of New Zealand’s largest private sector trade union

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, October 6th, 2015 - 18 comments

Details of the announcement tomorrow of the formation of the largest private sector union in the country.

Bunnings strike

Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, September 26th, 2015 - 36 comments

Bunnings staff are striking today after rejecting unfair contracts.

OIA on Zero Hours reveals just what an attack on workers it is.

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, September 24th, 2015 - 53 comments

We have the documents leading up to the what can only be described as a dreadful piece of law legalising employment agreements which tie workers to an employer without any of the reciprocity of guaranteed hours of work.  At a time like now – where work in this country is so badly paid, with so little protection – we get this.

Paula Bennett’s loopy rules do not actually exist

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 23rd, 2015 - 26 comments

The Government has admitted that at least some of the loopy rules mentioned by Paula Bennett in support of the Loopy Rules review do not actually exist.

NRT: Go on strike, get a police record

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, September 9th, 2015 - 4 comments

Over in the UK, the government is carrying out an unprecedented attack on employment and union rights in an effort to return things to their C19th utopia. Now they want to force striking workers to wear armbands and give their names to police as well. Presumably for blacklisting people exercising their rights.

2.1 Times More Likely to get a pay rise…

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, September 2nd, 2015 - 6 comments

If you still wonder WHY anyone would want to join a union, the fact that union members are 2.1 x more likely to get a pay rise might make you wade through the anti-union propaganda. Some unions escape scorn, like the Police Union which is referred to as an Association. It’s probably an oversight though, not anything deliberate…

Another farm death

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, August 28th, 2015 - 23 comments

Last night the Nats passed their widely ridiculed health and safety legislation. This morning a Waikato farm worker died in a workplace accident. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.

No, National shouldn’t have balanced the books.

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 28th, 2015 - 34 comments

Simon Louisson recently made a post about National’s profligacy, and all of the debt they have racked up. Guest poster Michael disagrees with Simon and says that “Yes, National was profligate.” and “No, National should not have balanced the books.”

Watkins on health and safety mess

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, August 27th, 2015 - 17 comments

“John Key’s increasingly lacklustre defence of the shambles consists of answers that sound more like satire by the day.”

National scared of farmers?

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, August 24th, 2015 - 41 comments

As the worm turns, the Nats are all over the place on health and safety. Andrew Little suggests that National is “terrified of the farming lobby”. Something sure has to explain the fact that they ended up fronting this crock.

Health and safety categories – ludicrous and venal

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, August 22nd, 2015 - 8 comments

A small sample of the reaction to National’s “health” and “safety” nonsense.

Zero integrity on zero hours

Written By: - Date published: 2:53 pm, August 21st, 2015 - 4 comments

If you thought the Nats promising to sort out zero hours contracts was too good to be true — you were right.