Sandra Grey is making NZCTU relevant again
Sandra Grey is making NZCTU relevant again at exactly the moment New Zealand needs a strong, organised left voice.
Why Sandra Grey is cutting through
The Council of Trade Unions has written an open letter to political leaders calling on the Government to work with all parts of society — including unions — to find a solution to the fuel crisis.
Union president Sandra Grey said political parties needed to put aside their differences and work together on solutions that manage the current fuel crisis in the interests of all New Zealanders.
“Discussions to date have involved Government and selected businesses, working in an opaque manner, without reference to any other groups or to the needs of others,” she said.
“We are calling on all political parties to set aside their differences and work together on solutions that will manage the current fuel crisis in the interests of all New Zealanders.”
Grey said New Zealand urgently needed a plan to deliver a future that did not rely on petrol, gas or diesel, and to ensure this type of crisis did not happen again.
She said solutions for how the country could mitigate the worst aspects of the fuel crisis in the short term also needed to be considered.
Grey argued that alongside political parties, unions, businesses and communities all needed to be at the table.
It was important that workers had a seat at the table for these discussions, she said, because they were the ones bearing the brunt of the fuel crisis.
“Time is of the essence,” Grey concluded in her letter.
“Simply assuming that these issues will resolve themselves is likely to leave lasting scars on both people and the institutions we rely upon.”
RNZ
The union movement finally has a sharp public voice again
Sandra Grey is fast becoming an essential voice in New Zealand politics.
I’ve seen her speak twice now, and her understanding of class dynamics alongside her staunch left-wing politics is deeply impressive.
She is finally making the NZCTU relevant again, something it has struggled to achieve since the passing of Helen Kelly.
She is passionate, articulate, and gives the union movement something it has badly lacked for too long — charisma.
We will need her this election.
