Slavery Days
A Hawkes Bay man has been charged with slavery and human trafficking. Why are we surprised?
wages
Industrial action is one way to increase wages
The National Party has recently been on the Government’s case for increasing strikes under their watch. But is that really a fair criticism, and does it jive well with the other things the Opposition has been claiming to value?
Why are we angry about tax and apathetic about low pay?
National’s one and only strategy this election was lying about Labour, specifically Labour’s budget and their tax policy. The $11.7bn hole lie just made the Nats look stupid, but the evidence suggests that the tax lie did real damage. Why are we so angry about tax and so apathetic about the much more important issue of low pay?
National – Delivering no pay rises for NZ
Expect plenty of Nat boasting on “the economy” in the election campaign. They’ll be desperate to hide the inconvenient fact that ordinary workers are going backwards.
Labour’s new employment relations package
Labour: “After nine years of National, working people’s share of the economy is falling. Less than 40 per cent of economic growth under National has gone into working people’s wages. If working people’s slice of the economy hadn’t shrunk under National, workers’ pay packets would have been $23 billion larger.”
English on our low wage growth
Bill English knows that our low wage economy is a ticking time-bomb for the government. He must be starting to get worried. The repeated promises of jam tomorrow are well worn out now.
Tipping vs fair wages
I don’t know of a single piece written in support of Bennett’s proposal. She has been in the bubble too long, and lost touch with the values of NZ.
Nats deny women pay equity transparency
As usual National proves itself to be no friend of women. They have voted the Equal Pay Amendment Bill down because they will always choose employers over people.
The case for higher wages
In the warm afterglow of the huge wage increase for health care workers the case for addressing NZ’s creaking low-wage economy is getting some recognition (along with the effect of immigration on wages).
Immigration in election year
National is about to execute a flip flop on immigration, not for any constructive reason, but to try and head off Winston Peters’ big issue.
Audrey Young on resurgent unions
Audrey Young writes on growing union numbers, strengths, and wins for their members. Excellent!
Workers, unions and the Labour party
Convincing workers not to organise in their own best interests is one of the great successes of right-wing politics.
Hickey on immigration and wages
Hickey: “The best way for an economy to grow is for the market to allow wages to grow. Allowing a flood of low-skilled migrants is frustrating that market mechanism with the short-term aim of keeping wages low for employers.”
Spark – kudos
Our wages are too low generally, and this is one of the main economic challenges that we face. A few more employers committing to paying a living wage would be a good place to start.
Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn?
Reprinted with permission, by Deborah Russell from Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn? And why we need to understand these figures.
Why are wages flat?
The Nats would have you believe that the economy is in good shape, in which case there is no excuse for the ongoing stagnation of wages. Of course it’s not as simple as that.
Little’s $50 a week message getting through
A great reception for Little’s speech, and a take-home message that resonates well.
Holding back our productivity
Our “business leaders” are doing an objectively poor job. Perhaps instead of insulting Kiwi workers as “pretty damned hopeless”, Bill English should be taking aim at these captains of industry.
Jobs and wages
Boring stuff about boring old jobs and wages.
Paying a generous wage
Well paid staff are happy, productive staff. Who’d have thought it!
Exploited workers need union protection
Another example of a bad employer unfairly docking a worker’s pay. But this worker was a union member…
Happy International (Working) Women’s Day!
The official theme of International Women’s Day this year is “Inspiring Change”. It’s a little vague, a little aspirational, not too confrontational – […]
We would love to see wages drop
Key said “we would love to see wages drop”. Sure enough National’s anti-worker employment Bill is designed to have that effect, as stated in a Cabinet briefing paper.
Police to march?
Who guards the guardians if the police march on Parliament?
Fact checking Key
According to Scoop, the PM is telling porkies about the average income of New Zealanders. On behalf of the various authors here at The Standard I’d just like to say, well, gosh! — imagine our surprise.
Keith Ng: Nat bullshit on inflation and earnings
National have been running some fine lines of bullshit lately. Keith Ng’s recent post at Public Address calls them out on two of them. The first, National is trying to claim credit for low inflation. The Second, National is trying to claim that recent wage increases have been better than the previous 9 years. Keith takes the bullshit apart – dirty work, but someone has to do it.
Wages up at record rate
The Labour Cost Index rose a record 3.4% for the March year. That means wages and salaries for doing the same job rose […]
Kiwisaver breaks half a million
Congratulations to Kiwisaver’s 500,000th member, baby Remy Van Cruysen, whose parents, Jules and Megan, signed him up today. By the time Remy is an […]
Whatever, Roger
NZers’ wallets will bulge under Act, says Roger Douglas. Sure they will Roger – with the bills from our kids’ user-pays schools, our […]
For the record
Like most of his policy positions John Key’s story on his comment “we would love to see wages drop” just keeps on changing. […]
Jones to Key: say it to our faces
Far North Labour MP Shane Jones laid down the gauntlet to Key over the ‘we would love to see wages drop‘ scandal. Jones […]