Hard Right Government stamp down on right to strike – Unions too frightened to fight back
Coalition defends return of pay cuts for partial strikes
The government is defending the re-introduction of pay deductions for partial strikes, saying it’s the public at large that bear the brunt of them.
Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden fronted questions at Select Committee on Wednesday morning. In her opening remarks, she told MPs the change to collective bargaining settings would both incentivise parties to return to the negotiating table and minimise potential disruption to public services.
“When a full strike occurs, employers can respond by suspending the employee and not providing pay. In this situation, there are negative consequences for both sides,” van Velden said.
“The same cannot be said for partial strike action at the moment. Currently, if an employee is engaged in a partial strike, the employer’s options are to either accept the partial strike action or to lock out or suspend the employee for the duration of the strike.”
Van Velden said the reintroduction of pay deductions gave employers the option to respond in “a more nuanced” way.
The pathetic and weak Union movement of NZ, (who were compliant in helping kill off the right to strike themselves), have nothing to offer working people in the face of this anti-worker Government.
Let’s never, ever forget that it was Labour WITH the support of the NZCTU who passed The Employment Relations Act in 2000 that outlawed most strikes so watching this bite the NZCTU on the arse 25 years later is fucking hilarious.
Our refusal to enact ILO Convention 87 on the right to strike, our lack of true leadership inside the Union movement and the failure to do anything other than perk up bureaucrats in Wellington has meant that when a truly right wing government appears with a radical agenda, there is no Union movement left to fight.
We have almost no rights to strike in this country.
No rights for sympathy strikes, no rights for wildcat strikes, no rights at all because we have a Union movement too frightened to actually fight for them.
I agree with the International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR) and their analysis of our weak union movement:
- Reforms to overturn the legislative undermining of freedom of association and the right to strike
- Amend the right to freedom of association in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to expressly include the right to collectively bargain and the right to strike in conformity with the law
- Include the right to decent work (including the right to gain one’s living by work which is freely chosen or accepted) in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
- Include the right to just and favourable conditions of work (as expressed in art 7 of ICESCR) in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
- Include other economic, social and cultural rights in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
- Review the role of the courts, and Parliament, in ensuring rights-consistent legislation – remove excessive sanctions from the social welfare system
- Ensure effective implementation of the principle of equal opportunity and treatment in employment, including for Māori workers
- Review immigration policies and regulations to remove barriers to migrant workers seeking assistance and remedies for labour exploitation and other rights abuses
Because todays Union movement is little more than a woke identity politics jamboree, they’ve utterly capitulated to neoliberal capitalism and have given up on the Right to Strike and sure as Christ aren’t fighting for it.
Watching a dying Union movement with no fight left complaining about pay reductions for the time insignificant strike rights they currently have is like watching the Captain of the Titanic getting angry about a spilled glass of water.
The Union movement is not prepared to fight for the right to strike making their complaints little more than the gasp of the suffocated.
A 10 day nationwide strike would do more for workers than 10 elections ever could.
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There were many national union actions of the late 70s and early 80s, one of which was a national stoppage…
“New Zealand’s only nationwide general strike was in 1979. It began after the Drivers Union and transport employers agreed on a wage settlement and the government stopped the settlement. The Federation of Labour called a one-day strike of all its members in protest. On 20 September 1979 almost 300,000 workers took part in marches around the country. The government called the strike an ‘absolute fizzer’, but it agreed to refer the drivers’ dispute to the Arbitration Court, which upheld the original agreement.”
–Te Ara
It was a lot of work in analogue days organising such action, ordering transport and other logistics.
“General Strike Now!” is the oldest Trotskyite/militant minority call in the book. Widespread strike action requires wide organisation and worker support to be successful which is clearly not there in Aotearoa NZ right now. The Support Te Tiriti movement shows how you do it and that is what the NZ Labour Movement, small as it is needs to learn from.
In the USA a grassroots movement is growing for a consumer no buy day from major corporates on Feb 28. Boycotts are effective as Starbucks and McDonalds found out over supporting the IDF butchers.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/economic-blackout-feb-24-hour-february-28-2025-peoples-union/
The solution for Aotearoa NZ is a class left leadership of the CTU.
Lets not forget it was the capitulation Union leadership in the Federation of Labour , The Ctu and the PSA that allowed the employment contracts act 1991 that allowed the decimation of the unions whereas at today’s point of being 10% of the NZ workforce. Meanwhile NZ workers have paid the price for believing the bullshit Trickle down would work in the employee’s favour.
40 years of so called TRICKLE UP PROVES OTHERWISE.
Meanwhile Australia never capitulated and Kiwis desert in droves every year.
KIWIS WAKE THE HELL UP.
YOU HAVE BEEN SOLD A PUP.
If unions don’t actually go on strike to advertise their power then their ability to recruit is a shit show.
Thats just the point some unionised sites have been but with only 10% of the workforce unionised those sites where non union members out number union members makes that not a viable option .
Especially in companies where immigrants out number local kiwi’s.
The immigrants come here from non unionised countries believing what the boss says goes and dont give a shit about the locals.
And some unions are pouring their energy into migrants now because, obviously needed now, but why didnt they enforce a moat around their current members years ago?
Never heard a union talk against damaging overimmigration.