Tough times for Labour Day

Tough times for Labour Day

Despite Labour Day commemorating New Zealanders winning the right to an eight hour working day, many workers are again facing tough times according to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

In 1840, carpenter Samuel Parnell successfully argued the case that the standard working day should be no more than eight hours, ensuring that New Zealand was among the first countries in the world to make such an advance for workers.

Peter Conway, CTU Secretary, says: “The commemoration of Labour Day this year comes at a difficult time for New Zealand workers. There are 256,000 jobless and over 102,000 workers needing additional work, while many others are toiling for long hours on low rates of pay just to make ends meet”.

The 2006 Census showed that 415,641 people were working 50 hours or more each week.

Peter Conway said that workers are facing tough times. “Kiwi workers and their families are bearing the brunt of the GST increase, received only miserly tax cuts for the lowest paid and are struggling to get reasonable wage increases.

“Last week, 22,000 workers expressed their strong opposition to the mounting attacks on work rights,” Conway said. “This includes reducing ACC entitlements, cutting industry training, restricting entitlements to meal breaks, removing the right to appeal unfair dismissal in the first few months at work, reducing access to union advice and requiring workers to provide a doctors certificate for only one day off work”.

These changes are unnecessary, unworkable and unfair.

Peter Conway said that, while many workers will enjoy a day off on Labour Day, many others will be at work in essential services, retail and hospitality.

Canterbury workers who along with everyone else in that region, have had a very stressful time from the earthquakes, are getting together at a picnic to celebrate Labour Day. Joining them will be Kirk Torrance, star of New Zealand Television series, Outrageous Fortune.

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