|
Hi [FIRST NAME],
Game On!
SkyCity lead way for $15 minimum
SkyCity employees have started negotiations over a new Collective Agreement. A central claim is for a $15 an  hour minimum wage with proportionate increases for all staff. To meet this demand wage rates would need to increase by 6-7%.
We want to ensure no worker employed by SkyCity is subject to the 90-day fire at will law and they retain the right to nominate a lieu day with two-weeks’ notice. Other claims include increasing the security of hours for part time staff, protections for casual staff, coverage of salaried staff and increased redundancy compensation...more
The Workers United.....
Over 150 Unite delegates from across New Zealand were gathered in Auckland in the last week of November for the first ever Unite National Conference. Previously Unite AGMs and delegate training sessions have taken place in smaller one day meetings in different cities. This year the Unite Executive committed to have a conference with worksite representatives from across New Zealand together in one place......more
BK and Mcdonalds workers:
what do you want?
Negotiations are quickly approaching for two of the largest fast food industry staff contracts. Unite will be negotiating over wages and conditions with McDonald’s and Burger King from March 2011.
Delegates from both of these companies attending Unite’s inaugural conference in Auckland recently raised discussed what they would like to see change at work and in their contracts. Here are some of their suggestions:......more
 Matt 4 Mana
One of the key strengths of Unite has been our ability to move quickly to seize an opportunity to campaign and get profile on issues important to workers. So it was with Unite Secretary Matt McCarten’s decision to stand in the recent Mana by-election as an independent.
Matt asked the Unite Executive for permission to run and for Unite’s endorsement of his campaign. The Executive agreed on the basis that Matt and any Unite staff working on the campaign were on annual or unpaid leave and that Unite would not be donating funds or resources to the campaign. Any union resources used would have to be reimbursed at a market rate....more
90 day "fire at will" law passed
The government have passed a range of new anti-worker employment laws under urgency while the country’s attention was focused on the tragedy at Pike River. Most of these law changes take effect from April 1 next year.
The 90 day “fire-at-will” law allows all employers to sack workers in the first 90 days of their employment without having to give any reason. This law at first only applied to employers with 20 or less staff. Now any employer can use the law unless unions are able to specifically exclude its effect in their Collective Agreements ....more
See how Unite is already fighting this law here and see other examples of this law in practice here
Novotel/Ibis Ellerslie win fight against harassment
Delegates at Novotel/Ibis Ellerslie contacted organiser Desmond Leota about the continuous harassment of three union members by a Supervisor. Desmond advised the delegates and they were quick to advise HR and get statements for the harassed members. The company suspended the Supervisor and a week later, after a full investigation, he was dismissed.....more
|
Foreign corporates set to mine us for profit
 Multi-national corporate greed is like rust, it never sleeps. Their bandit representatives were at it again this week wheeling and wheedling to get their agenda into the small print of the cuddly titled Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Appropriately, the negotiations took place at the SkyCity Casino where everyone wants to make a quick buck.
The TPP between the US, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam is now at round four. The TPP is misleadingly dubbed as a "free trade" treaty that will supposedly open up new markets. It's nothing of the sort..... read more of Matt's latest Herald on Sunday column. Read Matt's previous columns here
Know Your Rights:
2010 Xmas and New Year holidays
If you work on any public holiday, you should be paid at least time and a half for the time you actually work. If you normally work on that day of the week then you should also get another day off in lieu. You are entitled to the greater of:
- relevant daily pay less any penal rates plus half that amount again (time-and-a-half)
- or relevant daily pay including any penal rates...more
Download full article with detailed tables (PDF file)...here
Use the Department of Labour's online holidays calculator...here
St John of God C.E.A shows "the power of collective bargaining"
Union members who stood strong through 6 months of negotiations at the residential care facility St John of God in Wellington have recently had their collective settled with a number of strong improvements. The almost fully unionised site won a 2% wage increase, additional caregiver steps up to $17.51, a minimum wage for all laundry and housekeeping staff of $15 and a new non-taxable shoe allowance of $100 per year.....more
MAF and ADECCO deliver bleak Xmas for long-serving airport workers
The evils of contracting government services have been exposed at Auckland Airport where staff who have performed duties for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for many years have been thrown out of their jobs. 14 long serving staff have been thrown on the scrapheap just three weeks before Xmas because MAF has engaged a new contractor, foreign multinational company ADECCO, which is refusing to take on these long serving staff......more
Contact Unite
National Office
Website: www.unite.org.nz
phone: 0800 2 UNITE
Fax: 09 846 9509
email: support@unite.org.nz
postal address:
PO Box 7175
Wellesley St
Auckland
Unite Organisers & Staff
Click here for the contact details of all Unite Organisers and staff. |
