GUEST BLOG: Willie Jackson – A rockstar economy that plays for everyone, not just the rich.
It really is time for the National Party to grow up and stop being so spiteful. Last month, National Party MP Tim Macindoe, wrote a column complaining and whinging that the new Government is pushing for laws that will strengthen the rights of New Zealand Workers.
Tim moaned about how we will make it fairer for workers in any business larger than 20 staff to not be sacked after 90 days. He cried that we would ensure all workers were protected by existing collective contracts. He wailed that we would make it impossible for bad bosses to walk away from the negotiating table. He screamed that workers in an entire industry would get a fair deal if the workers wanted to collectively bargain.
So in summary, Tim moaned, cried, wailed and screamed.
Put a sock in it Tim.
As Minister of Employment, I will not allow the National Party to derail our genuine desire to make sure the rockstar economy plays for everyone, not just the rich.
Our latest Unemployment rate has dropped to 4.4%, but I’m not patting myself on the back because my focus is on the 12.4% of young people not in employment, education or training.
That figure shockingly jumps to 21.4% when it’s Māori.
It is simply not good enough that we allow our young people to rot through lack of opportunity and support, especially our young disabled people. Our labour reform changes coupled with our post-secondary fees-free policy will ensure those who want to work have those opportunities.
I’ve already announced $13million in youth employment programmes in regions with entrenched unemployment and I’ve been out to those regions talking with community about how we can make sure the next generation have the same opportunities we’ve all come to expect in a country that prides itself on giving everyone a fair go.
The National Party and their rich mates have had it too good for too long. The rockstar economy played for the few, not the many and this Government intends to make sure everyone gets the chance to dance.
It’s not good enough to just have a job, we must strive for jobs with dignity under employment law that treats workers with respect, not as disposable units that get dumped when the boss throws a tantrum.
There is nothing to fear from ensuring our most vulnerable workers are protected and this Government will not retract or apologise for rolling out that type of strategy. I have seen first-hand how grateful workers and communities are with the changes that we are making and the funding and resourcing that is now reaching them.
I’m proud of what we are attempting to do in terms of resourcing the working class, the homeless, and our people in the regions.
Last week our Housing Minister Phil Twyford and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a $100 million package that will tackle homelessness and urgent housing.
The housing crisis is yet another legacy of the previous government. Never before in our history have we seen homelessness as bad as it’s been in the previous nine years with National.
So fixated they seem to be in terms of looking after their mates that they forgot about the basics: our infrastructure, our regions, young people. I could go on and on.
So much for their ‘rockstar economy’.
First published in the Manukau Courier
yes Willie you have nailed it and I would like to add the spiteful gnats practised too much top down (cause we know best)and when they did use bottom up it was there mates who got the contracts. And they kept those people they were meant to be helping at arms length by using computer/internet, phone interventions therefore not ever having to look these people in the eye or meet with them face to face at the community level. They did lots of box ticking exercises. Never having to see the damage their policies and the approach they used and how it impacted on those they were suppose to be helping.
Good for you Willie! It’s time that the Business Roundtable/NZ Initiative plutocrats who got everything they wanted under National learnt to share some of their enormous wealth with the workers who helped them make it.
A footnote to this topic: One of the ways employers have done extremely well over the past few years is to take advantage of large pool of cheap labour provided to them by the last National government. When will Labour be honouring its election promise to only provide working visas for students who are studying for courses at Bachelor’s level or higher?
Contrary to what the business types want us to believe it’s not actually their wealth – it’s ours.
Every government since the 1980s has run a high unemployment policy so as to constrain wages. The capitalists really didn’t like it when, after WWII and during the most socialist we ever got, all the gains were going to those who actually produced them rather than to the capitalists.
well said Willie
be bold, explain the plan clearly–and a lot of people will be with you, get organised and those in work join unions
The Business Round Table did particularly well out of the sell off of our State Assets, Sir Allan Gibbs, Sir Michael Fay, Sir Ron Brierley, etc, etc did they really add value to the NZ Economy ?
They were in reality asset strippers and did particularly well at increasing their own personal net wealth in the wholesale sell off of NZ INC ?
MSM an the NBR will tell you otherwise as it is part of the Neoliberal Narrative ?
The Business Round Table did particularly well out of the sell off of our State Assets, Sir Allan Gibbs, Sir Michael Fay, Sir Ron Brierley, etc, etc did they really add value to the NZ Economy ?
They were in reality asset strippers and did particularly well at increasing their own personal net wealth in the wholesale sell off of NZ INC ?
MSM an the NBR will tell you otherwise as it is part of the Neoliberal Narrative ?
I agree, the beneficiaries of neoliberalism will squeal. Just like the pigs do when their noses are pulled from the trough. Funny really, they are the ones who have socked it to the rest of us for years. Ha Ha.
Listen man. The law’s a dog, it’s a joke. You’ll only frustrate yourself believing you’ll ever get justice. You gotta rearchitect society, bro. Like converting half of that bovine virus land into biodynamic ecocommunities where you can send welfare recipients to pick berries and mind the chickens and whatnot associated bio farm tasks and if managed correctly everyone gets richer and I’m talking multi faceted wealth, not just financial but socially and collectively, spiritually. We can reforge the whole spirit of New Zealand
GO WILLIE! About time we heard this. It was a long time ago, pre douglas, prebble, moore when we heard anything like this.
Hopefully Winston will not derail you.
Actually, they won’t.
To do that we need to do what every developing nation throughout history has done – have the government as a main employer pushing R&D. That R&D is then used to process our own resources and make stuff from it.
There’s no point going to school if there’s nothing to do at the end of it.