Friday 16 July 2010

Protest this Sunday – stop National’s attacks on workers

from Facebook page

Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010
Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Sky City Hotel, Auckland CBD


The National Party will announce drastic attacks on workers rights, seeking to curtail Unions rights to Bargain, access greenfield sites, access existing sites, slash education and training leave, and cut back on Holidays.

Unions will vigourously resist these attacks from the outset. If National are declaring war on workers, they should prepare for Resistance.

The Battle starts this Sunday. 10am. Sky City Hotel.

The National Party Conference is happening there this weekend.

The official announcement on the attacks will be made at 11am.

We aim to disrupt this session.

Stand up for Workers Rights.

Info coming in-

(a) Right to Access severely curtailed on unionised sites. No access on Greenfield sites.

(b) EREL Education and Training Leave for Delegates and Members to be abolished.

(c) 90 Days Fire at Will Law to be extended to all workplaces.

(d) Holdiays Act to be changed- fourth weeks holiday to be sold

(e) Bargaining Agents can take the place of Unions in Collective Contract Negotiations- giving more power to "yellow" company unions

Employment laws in line for shake-up
Published: 6:13PM Thursday July 15, 2010
Source: ONE News
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/employment-laws-in-line-shake-up-3646512

Source: 3news
http://www.3news.co.nz/Govt-to-extend-90-day-dismissal-law/tabid/419/articleID/166041/Default.aspx


Demand – Fairness at Work – Protest Sky City Hotel (Main entrance 72 Victoria Street West, AucklandCity) on Sunday 18th July.

Support the protest action at the National Party Conference and give themthis government a clear message that we will not tolerate any attacks on WorkerRights.

[CTU president] Helen Kelly will be joining the protest action on Sunday amongst other unionleaders and said today that leaked information from the Government will bothextend the law that removes the right to appeal against unfair dismissal andrestrict union access onto worksites. This is a throw-back to the bad old daysof the Employment Contracts Act of the 1990s.




Attacks on workers and unions sinister

Leaked information that the Government will both extend the law that removesthe right to appeal against unfair dismissal and restrict union access ontoworksites is a throw-back to the bad old days of the Employment Contracts Actof the 1990s, CTU President Helen Kelly said today.

“We have already seen that National doesn’t understand thatemployment rights should include protection for workers from arbitrary employerdecisions when they first removed appeal rights,” said Kelly, “butthe revelation today that they also intend to stop unions accessing workplacesunless the employer agrees is a deliberate attempt to undermine the growingopposition of workers to the National/ACT industrial relations agenda. It is abreach of international law, anti democratic and will damage NewZealand’s image as a place where work rights are respected.”

“John Key will need to explain why unions are OK on the one hand whenissues like the economic crisis require co-operation, but then move to denyworkers the right to freely join unions. Union membership is voluntary in NewZealand and the right to access workplaces is essential for efficient unionoperations. Clearly, workers work in workplaces – that is where they talkabout work rights, collective bargaining, health and safety, productivity andother issues. To make union access subject to employer agreement will hinderthe ability of workers to have a voice at work but also create unnecessaryconflict between unions and employers.”

“It is important for every worker in New Zealand to have the right toappeal against unfair dismissal and it is a disgrace that the Governmentintends to remove that right from hundreds of thousands of workers.”

“The CTU has represented workers dismissed using the 90 day provisionsin very unfair and unclear circumstance. For a number of the young people wehave represented it has been a simply devastating experience. Unions have alsoexperienced restricted access rights during the 1990s. This saw many employersusing access as a tool to deny union membership. It included forcing workers tomeet union officials one on one in rooms such as a public tea room, agreeing toaccess and denying it when unions turned up and many other diversionarytactics. Relationships suffered in this period.”








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