The
2025 Ernie Abbott Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Wellington
Socialist Society, will consider the life, death, and
possible rebirth of Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) in
Aotearoa.
It will be held at 6:00pm Tuesday 15 April
at Bedlam & Squalor in Te Aro, Wellington. All are
welcome to attend this free event.
Ben Peterson,
Assistant Secretary of Unite Union and former Fair Pay
Agreements Strategic Coordinator for the New Zealand Council
of Trade Unions, will deliver the lecture.
The
introduction of FPAs under the last Labour government was an
ambitious attempt to deal with stagnant wages and rising
poverty. FPAs would have allowed unions to dramatically
increase their reach and improve pay and conditions across
whole industries and occupations. Unfortunately, the recent
change of government led to the repeal of the FPA
legislation just on the cusp of the first FPAs being
completed.
Having been at the heart of FPA
negotiations, Ben’s experience has afforded him unique
insights and lessons for rebuilding the union movement in
the 21st century.
Ernie Abbott was the vice-president
of the Caretakers and Cleaners Union and caretaker of the
Wellington Trades Hall. He was killed on 27 March 1984 when
an explosion ripped through the Wellington Trades Hall. The
bombing was the culmination of years of virulent
demonisation of trade unionists and socialists by
Muldoon’s National government and their allies in the
press – today we are witnessing similar scapegoating by
another National government, this time targeting Māori and
other marginalised sections of society. The perpetrator of
this act of terrorism has never been brought to
justice.
The first Ernie Abbott Memorial Lecture was
held at Wellington Trades Hall on the 40th anniversary of
the bombing in 2024. The annual Memorial Lecture is
dedicated to the memory of Ernie and all those who have
given their lives in service of working people and is
focused on labour, trade union, and socialist history in
Aotearoa.
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