22nd July 2013

Unions launch Fairness at Work campaign

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions has today launched a major campaign opposing the Government's cuts to employment rights.

At the launch in Auckland, Helen Kelly announced unions will hold stop work meetings in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch next month to rally opposition to the law change.

Unions will also organise a national day of action at workplaces across New Zealand to raise awareness of the impact the Government’s changes will have on working Kiwis.

Helen Kelly told more than 100 workplace delegates the changes would remove basic rights at work and reduce the pay of working New Zealanders.

“The Government’s changes are designed to humiliate the working people of this country, to remind workers of their place in the pecking order. We will see lower wages, no tea breaks and greater vulnerability to any change in the workplace an employer seeks.

“It is beyond belief that the Government would try to launch an attack on wages and conditions in these difficult times. The Government’s own papers say that under these changes wages will fall."

“This last week we have seen big job loss announcements continuing. This past weekwe have seen power, housing, petrol and food prices go through the roof. Well this week, we say ‘get your greedy hands off our basic human rights as working people.’”

Workers from McDonalds, NZ Steel, Auckland Airport and the Ports of Aucklandtold the launch what the changes would mean for them.

Airport cleaner Sina Fameitau said: "If the Government changes the law, the small cleaning companies could take over contracts. We could lose our jobs or we would be forced to accept jobs with less pay and worse conditions."

“That would be very bad for us and for our families because it is already very hard to feed our families and pay the bills.”

Rallies:

AUCKLAND
Wednesday 28 August
1pm
Vodafone Event Centre
Manukau

WELLINGTON
Tuesday 20 August
12 noon
Petone Recreation Ground

CHRISTCHURCH
Thursday 29 August
10.30am
Wigram Air Force Museum

ENDS