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Incomes better but still a long way to go
Incomes better but still a long way to go - CTU 2020 work survey results
Council of Trade Unions media release - embargoed until 5am January 6, 2020
The Council of Trade Unions Together 2020
work survey results released today show more people are
reporting that their income kept up with their cost of
living in 2019 than previously, but there are still
significant improvements needed.
The survey was
completed by nearly 900 union and non-union working people
and was conducted between the 2nd and the 5th of
January.
CTU President Richard Wagstaff says the
results reflect the changes in policy and economic settings.
“The more positive income and employment statistics of
2019 are translating into people feeling better off than
they did a year ago, but right now it seems too many working
people are still doing it tough, struggling to make ends
meet and feeling undervalued at work.
“The
Government’s reinstatement of work rights that had been
eroded by their predecessors has certainly contributed to
giving people the ability to get a better deal at work.
However, this is a fragile gain that needs to be locked in
and strengthened through the introduction of Fair Pay
Agreements.
“The status quo of individual and single
employer bargaining just isn’t capable of delivering fair
outcomes. I think you can see that in the fact that there
are still many people who feel like they are falling behind
and in the areas of work that haven’t improved such as job
security and workload.
“As with last year, the most
commonly reported cost of living issues concern the cost of
basics, particularly housing. The impact of the increased
cost of renting has come through particularly strongly in
comments this year. ”
The 2020 survey also focused
on workplace culture with questions about bullying,
management effectiveness, and people’s comfort in raising
health and safety issues.
Wagstaff says the results
are concerning. “Workplace culture is a core reflection of
management capability, and less than a quarter of people
rate their management as better than average. That’s also
showing up in their reporting of unacceptably high levels of
workplace bullying.
“We’re also very concerned
about the number of people who don’t feel able to report
health and safety issues to their managers. We’ve had one
in five people report that they don’t feel able to raise
this issue. Safety at work is such a fundamental right that
figure should be zero.
“Additionally, having 40% of
the workforce concerned about their jobs being threatened by
technology shows there is an urgent need to address the
rapid changes happening to work and find ways to make sure
people aren’t left
behind.”
ENDS
An overview of the full 2020 survey results
is available here.
The 2019 survey results are available
here.
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Te Kauae Kaimahi
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.
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