Christchurch pallet workers strike once again over dismal pay rates

50 Christchurch workers who restore pallets for the distribution of many of New Zealand’s well-known products will be striking again tomorrow over low pay and large pay variations between company work sites. Workers will strike and picket from 2pm tomorrow (Thursday 30th August) and the strike will continue until early Saturday morning.  The picket is […]

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Loss of banks in rural New Zealand not what locals want

Following comments from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones that Australian-owned banks should be obligated to adequately service rural areas, FIRST Union National Finance Sector Organiser Stephen Parry says it’s not what local workers want. Minister Shane Jones told Stuff, “The Aussie-owned banks are incredibly profitable. Their level of profitability never seems to decline although the breadth of their services […]

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Time to start caring about the wellbeing of bus drivers

The original plan to change the tendering process Auckland Council conducted with bus companies to win bus contracts looked like it would bring to the table a more efficient tendering process. When the NZTA ratified the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) in 2015 it promised an efficient and effective delivery of public transport through its […]

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Waikato bus drivers strike for the third time as GoBus requests arbitration

Over a hundred drivers in the Waikato region will once again carry out strike and picket action as the relationship with their employer Go Bus hits new lows.   The strike action will take place tomorrow for 24 hours. The picket will take place from 7:30am to 9am tomorrow (29th August) on the corner of […]

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Concrete truck drivers strike in Auckland over hours, pay and the exploitation of fellow workers

Around 10 concrete truck drivers in Auckland are striking on Monday over long hours, low pay and the exploitation of their fellow migrant workers. The workers will also picket from 9am tomorrow (Monday 27th August) outside Allied Concrete Penrose Plant, 20 Leon Leicester Ave, Mount Wellington, Auckland 1060. Media are invited to attend. The action […]

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Christchurch pallet workers living in dire situations as company continues to haul in big profits

50 Christchurch workers who restore pallets for the distribution of many of New Zealand’s well-known products will be striking tomorrow over minimal pay and large pay variations between company work sites. From 6:30am Monday (27th August) workers will picket the site at the CHEP NZ Service Centre, 95 Shands Road, Christchurch. Media are invited to […]

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Worlds Apart: A trip through Bangladesh clothing factories

The below is an excerpt written by FIRST Union organiser Kate Davis during her recent trip to Bangladesh. I awoke early on my first day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to catch the women walking to work in droves. I must have seen thousands, not a child between them, all walking stoically toward the fenced factory doors, […]

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It’s not just the bus conditions, drivers are peeing in buckets

The plight of bus drivers in the Waikato region has only worsened since they began raising serious concerns with Go Bus at the beginning of the year. The 120 drivers from Hamilton, Otorohanga, and Te Awamutu are severely underpaid, drive old buses which cause a raft of health and safety issues (see previous releases on […]

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Businesses urged to utilise support employment agencies for workers with disabilities

  Statistics New Zealand has released its disability figures for the labour market showing disabled people are three times less likely to be in work, and more than twice as likely to be unemployed or underutilised (work part time and would like more work hours). Statistics New Zealand classifies disabled people as being anyone who […]

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