Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Unionize to beat redundancy pain

Maritime Union says unionize to beat redundancy pain in economic meltdown

Maritime Union of New Zealand media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday 2 November 2008

The Maritime Union says that membership in a union is the best strategy for workers to get protections at a time of international economic turmoil.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says that while both major political parties have been outlining pre-election "job transition policies" to assist redundant workers, the best guarantee for workers to do even better was to join a union today.

Mr Hanson says while minimum redundancy provisions, retraining and Working for Families were all part of the mix, workers needed to unionize to protect wages and conditions, especially as unemployment and job security would be major issues for 2009.

"The last National Government in the 1990s oversaw a collapse in union membership due to the anti-worker Employment Contracts Act, with a subsequent collapse of wages and conditions for workers, and we are still trying to regain lost ground a decade later."

He says if a new National Government was elected, its promises to both cut taxes and keep services would be impossible in a recession, and they would "revert to form" by finding ways to cut down the share of national income that went to workers.

"Regardless of who is elected, workers should seek to negotiate better than the minimum."

Mr Hanson says redundancy agreements are the norm in Union negotiated agreements, but many non-unionized workers were in an vulnerable position as the labour market tightens and unemployment rises due to global conditions.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"The best guarantee that workers can have to ensure they have good wages and conditions, and provisions for redundancy, is to be a member of a union that negotiates well on their behalf."

Mr Hanson says strong regulations to protect workers from the worst of the fallout from the global economic meltdown were important, but a strong independent Union movement was the key to advancing workers interests.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.