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Hi [FIRST NAME],
Occupy Everywhere
The Occupy Wall Street protest has inspired action for more than 1,000 of similar events in the US and around the World. Many occupations began on Saturday October 15.
In Aotearoa New Zealand protests and occupations took place not just in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, but even in New Plymouth and Invercargill!
Targeting Wall Street – the symbolic heart of financial capitalism – the protests have become the centre of attention for all those unhappy that the interests of corporations, not the basic needs of people, dominate society. A central message of the protest is that no society can be truly democratic when the richest 1% use their wealth and power to control the rest of us.
...more (photo: Tim Sanders)
Kick Out National!
Unite Union is not affiliated to any political party. However we have always supported our members voting for parties based on whether they can be considered “worker friendly” in their policies.
Based on their record in office this past three years we encourage a vote against the National-led government and look at alternatives which serve the majority and not the rich.
Let’s look at what Key’s National-led government has done to ordinary working people and the poor:
- Further restriction on union access to workplaces
- The 90-day workplace fire-at-will legislation
- Employer able to request medical cert. for only one day sick leave
- Less chance of reinstatement where unjustified dismissal proven
- Massive tax cuts for the rich
- GST increase most affecting low income-earners
- Minimum wage increases significantly smaller
- Wage increases below inflation
- Cuts to Early Childhood Education funding
- Cuts to community law services
- Tougher criteria for vulnerable benefit-receivers
- Introduction of Voluntary Student Union membership
- Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement removing our say on trade
- Reintroduced the possibility of youth wages.....more.
Authorised by Mike Treen, Unite Union, 6A Western Springs Road, Morningside
2011 Unite Conference and AGM
Unite’s Conference and AGM will be held December 1st and 2nd at the Saint Columba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Worksites with more than 30 members are automatically entitled to have a delegate attend the conference, delegates from smaller sites who wish to attend should contact their organiser
Most of the conference will be employment related education and delegates may be able to take paid leave to attend. For the AGM agenda and nomination forms click here .
SkyCity $100,000 settlement
After a two long years a union settlement was finally reached with SkyCity casino which should be around $100,000. This money will be shared out amongst any workers who have worked at the SkyCity convention centre after September 2009.
Unite Director Mike Treen took a group case up after he discovered convention staff were wrongly designated as “casuals” receiving no extra payment for overtime hours nor any lieu days for working public holidays. Longer serving staff were paid lower rates than they should have been.....more
Defend MMP
As well as voting in this year’s election the public will also be asked in a referendum whether they want to change the electoral system.
Together we have to ensure that our friends, whanau, and workmates reject the anti-worker agenda and retain the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system.
MMP is a fairer system, but how? Up until 1993 New Zealand had a First-Past-the-Post (FPP) system.
Three main problems with this system are ....more
Authorised by Mike Treen, Unite Union, 6A Western Springs Road, Morningside
Delegate's Charter
This charter is endorsed by Unite and contains the recognition rights we expect employers to observe. The best way to guarantee the rights below is to have them written in to your collective agreement.
As a workplace delegate you have the right to:
• Recognition by your employer that you are the workers’ elected representative. Members of the union elect the workplace delegate to represent them – the employer doesn’t have the right to interfere in this process. Managers with the power to discipline workers or hire and fire shouldn’t be delegates, though in some circumstances they may be union members.
• Recognition by fellow workers that you are the democratically elected Unite delegate in the workplace.....more
New Agreements and Bargaining Updates
Bargaining updates for Mcdonalds, Restaurant Brands (KFC, Pizza Hutt and Starbucks, DHBs, No1 Shoes and Hoyts Cinemas ....more
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 Leaders' blinkers on while bad tidings brew
Do you get the feeling that John Key and one of his key lieutenants, Steven Joyce, were so engrossed with the Rugby World Cup that they didn't see the political risks of the Rena disaster until a few days too late?
Key and his Government have been in honeymoon heaven for this entire parliamentary term. It seemed the glow would never end. Nothing has stuck to them politically after Pike River or the Christchurch earthquakes. So I can only assume they have become so comfortable they didn't see the risks when the Rena ran aground on a reef.
.... read more of Matt's latest Herald on Sunday column. Read Matt's previous columns here
Get enrolled
Election day is November 26th
You will have three votes:
1. The party you want to support
2. The local candidate you want to support
3. A vote on whether to retain MMP.
To vote, however, you have to be enrolled. ....more
Farewells and changes
Unite’s support staff is changing with Natasha Henry having left her various duties including office management, reception, and administrative support for organisers.
Tash came to us originally as a member in a call centre. In September she left for a new role at Tahiti Tourism New Zealand. We wish her all the best and can confirm that Unite’s vice-president Shanna Olsen-Reeder, delegate and strike-leader at JBHI-FI in Wellington, is moving to Auckland to take up a similar position.
Tom Buckley (pictured) is taking a well-deserved break from Unite after serving the membership well for 6 years since the SuperSizeMyPay campaign. Tom is likely to do some travel and is taking up employment with the Pilot’s Association. Increasingly Tom has taken up a range of all-round responsibilities across different sectors covered by the union. He has consistently gone above the call of duty for the union and its members.
Kia kaha Tash and Tom!
Unite Melbourne gains for young workers
A small but effective union, which took inspiration from the Unite project in New Zealand, has made some gains for young previously unorganised retail and service employees in
Melbourne.
In the first part of the year Unite (Melbourne) uncovered pay scams and super-exploitation of international students by the 7-11 retail company. Eventually the Fair Work Ombudsman found that workplace laws were breached in more than a third of 56 Geelong and Melbourne 7-11 stores investigated.....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. |
