AWU May Day Media Release

May Day
At Arc café
MEDIA RELEASE

April 30th 2006

Dunedin’s only fully unionised venue, Arc Café, will be the place to be on May 1st when the Autonomous Workers Union hosts a celebration of International Workers Day.

The day will include pool and darts competitions, an open discussion of the National Party’s 90 day no rights bill, a free film screening and a night of bands and DJs.

AWU Secretary, William Clark, says the point of the event is to recognise and celebrate the sacrifices of workers past and present to gain rights for all working people and to remind people of the need to guard those rights.

“A lot of people have made a lot of sacrifices to make our working lives better,” he says.

“And just as we shouldn’t take their efforts for granted, neither should we take the gains won for granted. The threat of National’s 90-day no-rights bill is a clear reminder that there are a lot of people out there who want to take even our most basic rights away.”

ENDS

Programme: 2pm - 4pm Pool and darts comps on a "90 Day Sacking Bill" theme. 4pm - 6pm Open forum (with CTU, Unions Otago participating) on the Wayne Mapp Private Members Bill (What it might mean and how to bury it) .

6.30 pm Screening of a film dramatising the 'Justice for Janitors' campaign in the U.S. (Other audio-visual material will be shown throughout the day.)

9.30 pm bands and solo acts ...Victor Billot, Rory Storm, CorporateTrash, Thee Aesthetics, and Wolfskull followed by DJs till late. Special union-themed cocktails will be served courtesy of Arc, the only 100% unionised cafe/bar in Dunedin...

other attractions will be announced on the day.

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