Our opportunity to Rebuild Better – E Tu
Today E tū is launching the Rebuild Better campaign, in response to the COVID-19 crisis and recovery.
E tū National Secretary Bill Newson says it’s all about having workers at the heart of our recovery.
“The COVID-19 crisis has affected every worker in New Zealand. Our country has been lucky in some respects, but big changes lie ahead and E tū is determined we will rebuild better,” Bill says.
“We need a future that’s better for workers, better for the country, and better for the next generation.”
The campaign is based on five key principles:
- Prioritise community health and wellbeing
- Workers’ wages leading the recovery
- Keep and create decent jobs
- Union members involved in all decisions
- End inequality
“The campaign is focused not just on weathering the COVID-19 storm, but also creating a future for workers that’s better than the path we were on before,” Bill says.
“Community health and wellbeing should always be a priority. This means keeping people safe from COVID-19 in the immediate term, but we also need a longer term focus on improving health and wellbeing beyond the crisis.
“Workers’ wages need to lead the recovery. We don’t want any workers out of pocket because of COVID-19. We know that lower waged workers spend more of their hard-earned cash in the local economy than others do, so making sure workers are well paid is part of the necessary economic stimulus – as well as the morally right thing to do.
“We need to keep and create decent jobs. High wage, secure, and safe jobs. Our country should be doing a lot more to advance our manufacturing industries, our high-tech economy, and our green energy sector. There’s no point in a COVID-19 recovery that isn’t both socially and environmentally sustainable.
“Union members are worker experts, so they need to be involved in all decisions. That means representation at the top tables of industry and government. We need to be equal partners in decision making, both because of the expertise that working people have, and to ensure fair outcomes.
“Finally, we remain focussed on ending inequality. Our lowest paid workers simply cannot bear the full brunt of the economic downturn. We’re fighting for things like Fair Pay Agreements, the Living Wage, and social procurement to address these historic injustices.”
Please visit the new website www.rebuildbetter.nz to learn more.
So. what we have is a failure to communicate in terms of Kiwi labour force.
Muldoon did it during the late 70’s and 80’s with his rent-freezes, “Think-Big” and he even pandered to the influential, with a Springbok tour. Muldoon grabbed power for the “better part of 9 years” for National, by embracing his “looking after the majority”. Ask anyone what they though of Muldoon’s policies for the working man and woman, the man-in-the-street?
Similar solutions could be viable for the National Party and its coalition parties of TOPS, New Conservative and ACT, to win the 2020 election campaign, by campaigning on the platform of UBI (Universal Basic Income).
Simon Bridges’s best policy platform would be to follow Muldoonist populism and do the same. Campaign on a National platform, a socialistic, Kare for Kiwis, majority benefit. On the surface, it would looks like it’s more leftist than Jacinda atm. UBI works, because it appeals to the majority, like Muldoon did. He could even throw in a few Simon-isms by saying that Labour hasn’t gone far enough with its interventions to help people and businesses.
Covid-19, could lead to UBI, which will lead to Simon’s National Party in power for another 9 years. Or Labour could steal a march and introduce it before National. Lay-down Mazir.
John Key however, is attempting a Lazarus-type-come-back from the dead, vanity-flag flutterin’ in the breeze over his shoulders. However, he’s a National Party zombie, trying to make Luxon’s mouth move to become PM and sell off Air New Zealand. It is only a 1-2 year plan. Key and Luxon’s plan is short-sighted and selfish, and will only make a few Key, Nats and Chinese investors wealthy. Selling off Air New Zealand to the “market”, benefits only Key and a few elites.
Simon and National, running a Muldoon-style play for the majority, will out-Trump John Key, by 6-8 years of power. John Key, has already sold 49% of Air New Zealand once to “Mum and Dad investors”.
Labour will demolish this latest elitist vanity and personal-profit-power-project by Key and Luxon. Selling off the remaining 51% of what is left, only benefits the 1% ers like Key et al, and will have as much appeal as John Key becoming a hairdresser, to the rich and famous as well as to the poor and dispossessed.
UBI benefits the Muldoon-majority AND the elite, within a year. It is National with a heart, while giving the semblance of a fiscally-prudent National government
And, let’s face it Simon, benefit money normally ends up in the hands of the uber-elite within a year anyway, but disguised as as cunning UBI plan, better than Michael Joseph Savage’s. So, win-win (and get shot of Winston!!).
Key and Bridges both have a particular set of skills.
Diane says
“Who will prevail in the long-term, Simon or John?” Long-term National Labour-and-Muldoon-style, or short term National-Gangnam-style John Key, Luxon-Style?