Waatea 5th Estate – Are Unions winning?

By
The Daily Blog
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Joining us to discuss the rise of industrial action in NZ, the argument for stronger unions and which political parties are generating policy that can give muscle back to workers…
Mike Treen the National Director of Unite Union
CTU Maori Vice President – Syd Keepa
And National Secretary of the PSA – Erin Polaczuk

4 COMMENTS

  1. unions can only raise wages if there is workers we are heading in direction where 48 percent of current occupations are going disappear due to automation unions can not be effective in that environment the answer must be a basic income to prevent exploitation we must redefine what work is.

    • I support the concept of a UBI, and also continuing and extending the democratic revolution by restructuring businesses as democratic, employee-run cooperatives. But even with these changes in place, I still see a role for unions, both as specialized advocates for employee rights, and as research and campaigning organisations looking out for workers rights and well-being. The book ‘Maverick’ by Brazilian employer and workplace democracy advocate Ricardo Semler discusses a couple of cases where trade unions have played a positive role in his company.

      I admit to having made many skeptical comments over the years about the NZ unions that have survived the neo-liberal coup. During the years following their failure to effectively resist the Employment Contracts Act, many of them seemed to be functioning more like middle class professional associations (NZEI, PPTA, Nurses etc) than working class solidarity organisations. But over the last decade or so I’ve also been inspired by the work of unions like Unite, SFWU, MUNZ, First Union (formerly NDU and FinSec), and others, as well as the work of global workers rights organisations like the International Labour Organisation and LabourStart.org. Like other civil society groups, unions have had to adapt to the realities of functioning under neo-liberal corporate rule, and learn to make effective use of information technology to educate, agitate, and organise. How can activists help them support their members and campaign on workers rights issues more effectively?

  2. Excellent job. All three panelists to be commended . It is indeed time for unity and re empowering of the labour movement. For 32 years we’ve seen this situation deteriorate into the capitalists paradise it is today.

    And that includes not only zero hour contracts , work slave wages – but deaths and injury’s on the job.

    Here’s a hint and a clue to those neo liberal wretches of all stripes including the NZ Initiative ( former Business Roundtable ) – the people who have been on the receiving end of your bullshit theft for 3 decades are finally waking up to just how far you took your disgusting ideology in this country.

    And while its all very prim and proper and ‘civilized’ to sit around a negotiating table and expect to be treated with decorum and respect… that is a far cry from the shit you’ve dished out to those least able to defend themselves for 32 years , – so expect a growing sense of expectation and anger if you don’t come up with the goods smartly.

    The worlds changing and you’ve had your time playing in the sun.

    You’ve taken much from us as a country through rort and deceit and its time now to start paying back the piper. And don’t expect the pipers song fees to come cheaply either.

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