The converted fishing trawler I am travelling on, the Al Awda, along with three sailing yachts are under constant guard as previous flotillas have been sabotaged in foreign ports by the Israeli secret services trying to stop the attempts to break the blockade.
Mike Treen – National Director of Unite Union Auckland speaks before departing to join the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
This is welcome news but it should be just the start of a new culture being imposed at WINZ.
Unite represents workers employed by Salmat who is a third party call centre operator currently contracted to provide services to the IRD. This contract was review early this year and Salmat’s services were discontinued to be replaced by temping agency Madison in September.
The truth is there is nothing very complicated about the calculation of annual leave. Leave was to be calculated weekly and when it was taken it should be valued at the greater of the worker’s current wage or their yearly average. This had been true since 1948.
What was clarified in the 2003 Act was that if it was difficult to determine what an ordinary week was, for example, because they worked variable hours each week, then the worker should get the higher of their yearly average or the average of the last four weeks. This was explained in the Act in minute detail. No mistaken understanding could be taken from the plain language.
It has become clear that almost no major employer or payroll provider did this simple calculation. Many also did not include regular allowances that should have been.
This weekend it is likely that you will see workers at Burger King, Wendy’s and Event Cinemas taking action to bring an end to their status as part of minimum wage industries as well as to protect or establish margins for skill and service.
Supporters are being asked to come along and show that support outside the company’s Dominion Rd, Auckland, store tonight from 5-7pm.
Wendy’s workers will be gathering outside the Te Atatu Wendy’s store at 7.30pm tonight to explain why they are striking to media and supporters.
It’s going to cost the government at least $600 million to clean up this mess over the next decade
Mike Treen spoke with acclaimed US/Palestinian author Dr Baroud who is currently on a speaking tour of New Zealand on why he is going on the Flotilla to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. (See link below)