i was one of the people at the "fairness at work" rally in hamilton today. it was incredibly well-attended & the first time i've seen people from so many different unions get together in such numbers. there's a lot of anger in the community about the erosion of worker's rights, and people are ready to fight back.
the thing that was interesting was that it was such a mixed group. there were the PSA workers & univerity staff, the NZEI & other teachers unions, service & food workers, rail & maritime, NDU, dairy workers, and more. one of the more rousing speakers represented workers in the justice sector. the people attending were not only diverse in the range of jobs but also by ethnicity. this was a real cross-section of nz society, and i saw john key brush them off in the news tonight, but i'm sure even he knows that he does so at his peril.
in the meantime, the news coverage around work issues continues to be appalling. i see all the DHB bosses tried a bit of media pressure today, bringing out stories of patients at risk because of striking radiographers. of course, they failed to mention that those patients wouldn't be at risk if employers were move from their position, and make as much effort to resolve the situation as they are on PR stunts.
ditto with the coverage of the teacher's strike. the reporting very rarely puts forward the view that children are missing out on school because the ministry is refusing to negotiate in good faith (ie they don't select interviewees who would put forward that view).
i've see reports today of the situation in france, where after major strikes that are disrupting normal activity, the vast majority of people are still supporting the unions. i'm sure that unions here also have support, the numbers who turned up around the country today show that they do.
16 comments:
Exactly which "rights" have workers lost? The right to liberty?...no they can still up and leave anytime they choose for better condictions....the right to property?...no...they still own themselves and their skills and can choose where and with who they trade them.The right to life?...no they aren't being threatened with death or coercived lifelong enslavement.The right to pursue their own happiness prehaps?...no....see above...they are free to do as they please with whats theirs.No they are not free to escape the facts of reality and the law of cause and effect...but they never were or will be...thats life.
Or are you meaning the bogus "rights" to demand the unearned? To leaveage privilage from an employer by use of State backed threats and force? To force themselves upon an unwilling other who doesn't want you?
If those are the "workers rights" you wish to retain then I say we are well shot of them...
what a load of total crap james. nice to see that you choose to be totally ignorant and want to advertise to the world just how ignorant you are. how about these rights:
- the right to meet your union reps at your workplace
- the right to know why you've been fired, and to take action if you have been fired unfairly
- the right to have fair restbreaks through the working day
- the right to not be pressured into selling your holidays
and much more. how about you take a little trouble to learn just the basics of what's happening with employment law before embarassing yourself further.
as for being in a position to up & leave, i see you're also completely ignorant of the unemployment rate these days, of the fact that simple jobs have hundreds of people applying, and many of the people we're talking about don't have the financial buffer to be able to "choose" to leave when their employer makes unreasonable demands.
you've shown that you have no idea of the "facts of reality", and i hope you never have to learn the hard way. as someone said on the news the other day, everyone is 3 adverse events away from destitution.
The workers & unuions are asking for a fair deal. The raft of proposed law changes tip the balance in favour of employers. This is in a context when neoliberal policies are increasingly exposed as a failure, bringing the world close to financial collapse, while the gap between rich and poor has grown exponentially, and many on the "bottom" are sruggling and feel a lack of hope for the future.
The wealthy and powerful have siphoned off the profits, while the less well-off have been asked to work harder and longer for less, and unemployment has risen. Ordinary workers are being forced to accept austerity measures to "correct" the wrongs done by the wealthy speculators and financiers, supported by a large number of politicians.
All kinds of workers are asking for a fair deal, as stargazer shows.
I went to the Auckland rally on a union-organised bus full of people from more than one workplace in my area. It included a very multi-ethnic collection of people from a range of jobs - manual, admin, professional men and women. However, the majority by far were women, and probably most were also pasifika women - reflecting the west Auckland location.
There was a long, slow queue of union buses and cars from the motorway to the Manukau stadium. It took forever to get there, and we got parked and off the bus just before the rally ended. And we weren't the last into the carpark.
So I think the turn-out was far bigger than even the unions had expected. The people on my bus still thought it had been worthwile even though we missed the rally. They wanted to be part of a show of numbers, and had worked off their jobs for a couple of hours to show how important they thought the issue is. I enjoyed the outing. There was a very good feeling on the bus, with strong expressions of support for serious issues, plus some fun and laughter.
SG: "what a load of total crap james. nice to see that you choose to be totally ignorant and want to advertise to the world just how ignorant you are. how about these rights:
- the right to meet your union reps at your workplace."
Bogus...theres no right to arrogantly stomp your way onto an employers property and make demands...try displaying some manners and you may find employers more willing to agree to union visits.Act like arrogant bullys and you get what you deserve.
"the right to know why you've been fired, and to take action if you have been fired unfairly."
It would be nice if all employers did that as its a matter of simple justice and common sense...no argument on that.BUT...there is no right to thoses things.If your boss is a jerk then tough...he has the REAL right to be.YOU can still go elsewhere..which is all the "right" and recourse you need.
"the right to have fair restbreaks through the working day"
Not an issue at 99% of companys...its just common sense and counter productive NOT to have breaks...as your workforce exercises their REAL right to liberty and go's eleswhere..its the self-regulation of the market at work.
"The right to not be pressured into selling your holidays"
If you are literally being threatened with physical force to do so then sure...but violence and slavery are already illegal.Offering an employee an option is perfectly fine..no ones rights are violated by having an extra choice.I know many workers,including myself ,who are happy to cash in the forth week...I'd rather have the money for other things and get an extra weeks pay.My choice...as it should be.Not some unionists, its none of their business.
"and much more. how about you take a little trouble to learn just the basics of what's happening with employment law before embarassing yourself further."
You are ignorant about what rights really are....you are in favour of State backed privilages...not rights....which are not in peril in any way,shape or form from 90 days or similar policies.
"as for being in a position to up & leave, i see you're also completely ignorant of the unemployment rate these days, of the fact that simple jobs have hundreds of people applying, and many of the people we're talking about don't have the financial buffer to be able to "choose" to leave when their employer makes unreasonable demands."
Doesn't change the fact that they still have the choice to leave Comrade...a lack of options in your life is not a violation of your rights...you would know that if you knew what a right really was.Employers don't have an unchosen obligation to anyone to provide them with employment or anything else.Employment is a mutral trade arrangement for mutral gain...employees skip out on their bosses all the time when their work situation no longer appeals...employers have the exact same right to end contracts too when its no longer in their intrest to continue them.Do believe people should be forced to have people around they don't wish to associate with...?
"you've shown that you have no idea of the "facts of reality", and i hope you never have to learn the hard way. as someone said on the news the other day, everyone is 3 adverse events away from destitution."
Been there,done that....and I didn't whine about it or spit my dummy and demand a gun be held at an employers head to make me feel better....I acted like an adult and took personal responsibility and forged a better situation for myself....try it...if you can.
After the disaster that is the loss of the Hobbit overseas today if I was lefty so called "workers rights advocate" I'd be staying very quite and praying I wasn't lynched by seethingly angry workers who have just lost potential employment and excellent income.The left wing unions have shot themselves in both feet with their greedy,shortsighted stupidity over this issue.Learn a lesson.
no right to arrogantly stomp your way onto an employers property and make demands
stupid wording james & classic trolling. whose stamping? whose being arrogant? workers have the right to bargain collectively, they have the right to meet with union reps who come to visit them to discuss workplace issues. arrogance & bullying is when anyone stops that from happening.
BUT...there is no right to thoses things.If your boss is a jerk then tough...he has the REAL right to be.
no he or she doesn't have that real right. behave unjustly and you should take personal responsibility for your actions by facing up to the justice system. and guess what james, women are employers too.
Not an issue at 99% of companys...its just common sense and counter productive NOT to have breaks
again showing your ignorance james. it's in issue in the hospitality industry, for teachers and a lot of others. when we had people signing the petition for restbreaks, we had a range of professions where workers weren't getting decent breaks, and yes it's more than just a right, it's a health & safety issue.
You are ignorant about what rights really are
just because you say so? sorry, but i haven't seen a single intelligent thing from you on this thread, so excuse me if i just laugh that off. you have no conception of power dynamics, and just because you survived losing a job doesn't mean others can. your privilege is oozing out of every word you write.
if you're going to employ someone, then you have to fulfill your obligations as an employer - that is your responsibility. it is your responsibility to tell people why they're sacked, to provide safe working conditions, to provide fair pay etc. if you're not prepared to shoulder the responsibility of fair pay & conditions, then don't be an employer. go work for someone else who can & stop whining about how difficult it supposedly is. my employer can provide fair pay & conditions therefore every employer can and must. that seems to be fully in line with the way your reasoning goes, at any rate.
and as for whining, you seem to have plenty of time to do it here. i'm calling you out for trolling at this stage, and suggest you piss off back to places where they tolerate that kind of thing.
"You are ignorant about what rights really are....you are in favour of State backed privilages...not rights"
Sounds like a 'no true Scotsman' argument.
"You are ignorant about what rights really are....you are in favour of State backed privilages...not rights"
Sounds like a 'no true Scotsman' argument."
Itys also the right argument.There are no contradictory rights in existence...only real,negative human rights vs created ,contradictory privilages as Statrgazer supports.But reality doesn't support contradictions...they can't exist in our objective universe.A thing is what it is...it can't be something else at the same time..A=A.
A private business is no different in reality to a private house despitye what flawed leagalities may say.The owned of the business is the only one with the right to determine what happens there...no one else.ASame as with a house...the owner sets the terms of entry and occupation.If you don't agree with thoses terms you go elsewhere..which is your right to liberty.No one (decent) would try and dictate to a home owner what the rules and regulations of occupancy will be....so why do they think the have that right in someone else's business?
Now its perfectly fine to offer ideas and suggest new things to the owner,and most people are open to considering things that improve their situation, but if they decide not to go along with you then tough...suck it up or move on...thats the only recourse you need.
Its called a civilzed society people...and people don't get to bully and control others by force in such a society.
although debating someone lacking the ability to find "Shift" on her keyboard seems pointless..
Whereas your inability to spell correctly somehow demonstrates your literary superiority?
A private business is no different in reality to a private house despitye what flawed leagalities may say.The owned of the business is the only one with the right to determine what happens there...no one else.ASame as with a house...the owner sets the terms of entry and occupation.
Really? You think that homes and businesses and separate countries with their own laws? People cannot kill, injure, or sexually abuse people in their homes. Nor can they house & run a P lab, get people to do work in slave-labour conditions, carry out unauthorised renovations and much more in their own home.
Nor can business owners engage workers and treat them as serfs, or knowingly put them at risk of injury or disease, demand they work all hours under the sun, not give them sick leave etc, etc.
spare us the abuse james, as it won't be tolerated here. and given your past history of comments here, there is a very low thresshold of tolerance you're now having to deal with.
try again without the putdown at the beginning james. if you don't like the way i type, you don't have to be here.
I've deleted two abusive comments from James.
James, please take the abuse elsewhere.
thanx deborah, glad i missed it.
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