Workers get biggest pay rise in more than 20 years, Stats NZ says
Workers have experienced their biggest annual pay increase since records began.
Stats NZ data for the June quarter shows a big increase across the workforce, but particularly for women – driven in part by them working longer hours.
Median weekly earnings from salaries and wages increased 8.8% in the year to the June quarter.
It was the biggest annual increase since the Stats NZ series began in 1998.
Of course the immediate focus goes on identity…
Women’s median weekly earnings increased by 9.9%, to $1055 a week. Men’s earnings lifted by 5.9% to a median $1320 a week.
…despite women jumping 9.9% and men only gaining 5.9%, the focus is still on the gender pay gap rather than the far bigger question that actually challenges free market capitalism, why should we reopen the immigration flood gates again?
Workers have never had this much power and ability to force up wages and better conditions because immigration exploitation, hyper tourism and International language scams have been blunted due to people leaving NZ to get better conditions and wages overseas!
Why reopen the immigration floodgates when the labour conditions are finally benefiting workers?
Why is the focus endlessly on the gender pay gap and not the free market neoliberal hegemonic structures that suppress ALL wages?
Why is it always the gender pay gap and patriarchy that is the supposed target and not the exploitative neoliberal free market settings?
Isn’t it time to stop seeing this through the identity lens and take a wider perspective on economic nationalism that benefits all workers rather than the bosses and the middle classes?
Our brain drain is countering all the immigration inflation and forcing bosses to confront the low wage economy that they have built and exploited.
I enjoy watching the bosses squirm.
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Women’s rates will go up when nurses are paid properly and who is stopping that none other than Labours Dr Do Little .
Women’s rates are going up.
It’s the nurses union who stopped the last rise for nurses after they agreed to a deal.
And if you cannot show any respect by addressing Mr Little by his correct name you and your comment deserve the same level of respect you braindead twat.
My dad always said if you need to use disrespectful language you have lost the argument. So I guess I lost the argument with you. But then cunts like you aren’t really worth arguing with.
So you have managed to cobble up some words to make a sentence John. You braindead twat talking about your dad makes you sound young and yet already slowing down mentally. You wouldn’t know yiour a from your e. Heard the one about the mixed up dealer – got his signwriting wrong and put up Honest Car Used John Dealer. Here that can be called satire as well as scuttlebutt.
You are a product of class society which is always deadly serious about maintaining their superior position; no room for fair criticism or judgement, no satire. When the polished civilised surface cracks, out comes the crude and vulgar language against people who don’t respect their betters. So 19th century eh. Upper and lower class and touch your forelock you villein.
John that is incorrect. The Nurses Union agreed to take the offer to members for ratification but when it became clear that there was massive opposition to the offer based of two contentious issues – pay equity for senior nurses not essentially or equitably addressed and refusal by the Government to honour the MECA agreement and allow for properly apportioned backpay (the Government essentially broke its contractual commitments) – the offer was not progressed to members instead opting for arbitration based on sound independent legal advice.
Of course the Government can and will do what it wants and it looks like the battle with the Nurses Organisation will continue for some time to come but Mr Little is seen, by most in the sector, as being very much out of his depth.
I have not seen you jump on any of the left wing writers that play with the names of those politicians from the right. My dad said if someone had to resort to bad language in an arguement it showed they had a very limited vocabulary and you prove the point.
Gee Trevor I would love to hear your thoughts on why nurses couldn’t get anywhere under National and Luxon (in June) would not even commit to paying them more ( probably because wants to make Filipino’s automatic citizens). The hypocrisy is astonishing. The union has left an offer stagnating.
See my reply down the page
NZ workers need a fighting, class left, central Labour Organisation again with a leader that speaks clearly like Mick Lynch in the UK.
“We need a firm response from the trade unions to get the British working class a pay increase to deal with this poverty crisis. We also need to tackle housing costs, interest rates and food poverty.”
Mick Lynch supports a general strike when the critical mass of union support is organised. His theme song should be Tom Petty’s “Won’t back down”, or Bob Marley’s “Get up Stand up”.
Not a peep out of Mr Wagstaff at NZCTU, how many workers could even name him? The NZ working class should have been in the news throughout COVID 1 & 2 but no, it was the petit bourgeoisie–cafe owners and thwarted middle class global roamers who made the news day after day, whinging about quarantine that saved thousands of lives.
Time for Unite, First Union and others to take over the bloody CTU and start organising workers again as used to happen in the FOL Federation of Labour days.
Anyone on here’s wages actually gone up?
Is anyone on here apart from Countryboy able to write more than incoherent one liners or lists of links?
Yes, my wages have gone up and I am a self employed freelancer! And hundreds of thousands of workers wages have risen with regular minimum wage hikes under Labour Govt. And what is more–union members wages have risen the most.
Yep $6000 per year.
Don’t celebrate too hard. Wage inflation fuels general inflation for obvious reasons. Cost of labour goes up… and so does whatever they’re making or doing, forcing businesses to increase prices,,, and then people demand even more pay to afford things etc. This is one way inflation spirals out of control (the other is that inflation disincentives saving and encourages buying now for fear of higher prices tomorrow, creating supply pressures leading to ever higher prices).
Cope. You just need to have a government that controls things for the benefit of the people, not the 1%.
Good explanation Nitrium. The Reserve Bank et al probably know all that but prefer to keep us all puzzled and frantic. All the RBs efforts go to oil the financial machine which spits out money at levels set by a number of levers, at different levels depending which button is pushed. Whether wages are sufficient to purchase the goods needed by the mass of people for their living is a minor consideration. Let’s use this point in time to refresh our memories.
NZs Bill Phillips was an immigrant to Britain. And seemed to have left us with lesser brains in the country.
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/how-does-economy-work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZavOcEnLg
Here’s a 30 minute explanation of the economy by Ray Dallo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPBC1XLx8Ek
He does make the point that it reflects human nature and I don’t know how much he says about that as I haven’t watched it right through. But that human nature effect is why economics is not a science. And why it can’t be regarded as an understandable machine.
It probably does not make allowance for the fact that people become addicted to gathering money and can’t stop themselves wanting more.
And that unions when they get the power to increase wages often throw aside principles of fair dealings to raid the larder as the Cooks and Stewards Union did over the Interislander – going on strike in school holidays or Christmas. (Earning the hate and not respect that all unions needed.) Learning about human behaviour should be part of economics, not a separate study.
Nats and Seymour complain about the “brain drain”– people leaving to earn more money overseas, yet are against wages rising in NZ. They also propose more money for the well-off through tax cuts, in the words of the Aussie chip shop owner “please explain”.
Luxon wants a country of Doctors and lawyers, no one earning under 180,000 a year. The rest can die in the gutters.
It’s not either\or.
These issues do function to create endless infighting and distraction, but not because they are without merit. I assume the response arose because the figures themselves were a picture of an injustice.
It seems to me the left needs to clarify what it agrees on to fight together according to an accord. There is a need to minimise being drawn away from a common struggle because of fighting each other where people and groups disagree.
This is not about censoring the important freedom to disagree, just about the need to work together on common ground.
This splintering has been effective in disempowering the left for so long now. it seems like it must be time to talk about what we need to do to counter it.
Covid has been a winner for Labour, they closed the borders and raised wages for many. Now about to reverse back to neoliberal, globalist, exploiter, agenda.
I am on record for condemning the National Party when in power of not looking after teachers or medical staff.
Unlike some from both sides I am prepared to admit National have a few policies I do not agree with but on balance Labour has very little I agree with when they are in power .
If Bert says Little is doing a great job in health then I will accept his opinion but that is not the message I get from nurses at Chch Hospital that I see on my all,to frequent visits
Of course Labour can do things better Trevor but blaming Little for nurses wanting $30,000 in back pay is too easy. There is a split amongst nurses I interact with. Those that put money ahead of why they chose nursing in the first place and those that are grateful to just have had a significant increase and carry on living a comfortable life whilst doing the job they love. Important, the job they love, not for the love of money. As for the requirement of more nurses, that’s a whole different argument.
I have not seen you jump on any of the left wing writers that play with the names of those politicians from the right. My dad said if someone had to resort to bad language in an arguement it showed they had a very limited vocabulary and you prove the point.
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