Union members from worksites and unions right across
Otago are meeting to speak up for working people’s rights
tomorrow, Thursday 1 May, 12.30-1.30. As the weather
forecast is for rain, we are relocating to the Union Hall at
Otago University. All union members are invited to attend
– many of you can attend during your paid work time –
please check first with your union delegate/s and
organiser.
Unless your workplace is already utopia –
and we haven’t come across one yet – there is a good
reason for all union members to come to this
hui.
Union members and delegates from many
different unions and workplaces have told us why they and
their workmates and loved ones plan to
attend.
For example,
Jasmine from
PSA said ‘I am going to the rally to support my fellow
union members in improving working conditions, reducing
stress, increasing compensation, and an Aotearoa where
honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an absolute
priority.’
Mark from E Tū union said ‘Four years
since we moved out of lockdown…it feels that we have
forgotten about essential workers, the cleaners who keep
things sanitary, the tradespeople who keep the heating
running at retirement villages, the café workers taking
abuse from disgruntled patrons. This government is attacking
workers’ rights by redefining holidays and annual
leave…They wish to roll back health and safety
legislation. We need more than middle of the road centrism
is not the solution to the fundamental erosion of New
Zealand workers’ rights…NZ workers deserve better
rights, and we deserve people in positions of power who will
fight for us and never leave us behind.’
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Marita from
NZNO said ‘I am standing up to be counted,. The Health
System is in Crisis. It’s obvious, we need to fix it…We
need real funding, not a Band Aid. Listen to Your
People’.
Brandon from TEU said ‘Real wages are
being driven down, and this coalition government is making
thousands of people unemployed then attacking their benefits
too. Meanwhile, education funding is being slashed to pay
for tax cuts for the rich. Our trade unions are pushing
back, fighting for fair pay and dignified
conditions…’
Ali from PSA said ‘The spirit of
coming together can achieve outcomes far greater than what
any of us could accomplish alone. May Day…is a moment to
stand shoulder to shoulder, not just for ourselves, but for
everyone who deserves dignity at work and across Aotearoa
New Zealand. At the most basic level, I expect our
government and employers to recognise the rights of workers,
to honour our contributions, to pay a living wage, and to
ensure that no one is left behind. That means prioritizing
the rights and wellbeing of marginalized groups… That
means a genuine commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o
Waitangi… working collectively toward equity, tino
rangatiratanga, and justice at every level of society. It
also means actively closing the gender pay gap and
addressing the unjust income disparities between senior
management and frontline staff.’
Cath from Workers
FIRST union said ‘Bus drivers are grateful to the Otago
Regional Councillors for ensuring that we are paid a living
wage. This has made a huge difference to drivers’ lives
and to that of our loved ones’.
Kelly from PSA said
‘Collective action is important because it provides a
space for people to have a voice and gives us an opportunity
to come together in Kotahitanga (unity/solidarity). It
breaks down barriers & divisions…The Government and
their elitist friends try to divide us when it comes to
class issues …We need to put our differences aside and
focus on what impacts us all and work together to make real
change. We have the numbers so we can effect change but we
need to have people willing to put things in action as a
collective’.
Simone from NZNO said ‘As health care
workers in an increasingly stretched health care system we
are needing to make a stand even more than before, to fight
for improved conditions for our fellow staff and better
outcomes for the welfare of our residents and their
whanau’
Ray from E Tū said he will be presenting a
remit at the hui ‘demanding a better deal for working
people’. ‘People are struggling to keep up with
inflation at wage talks, sometimes it’s just a kick in the
teeth’, he said.
Rauhina from TEU said ‘Over the
past year, we have witnessed people power win under the most
anti-worker and anti-Māori government our country has ever
seen. The long arc towards justice is not over. I’ll be
showing up this May Day alongside my fellow TEU members
because as Māori, and as a member of a union, I locate
myself within a place, I identify with a diverse array of
people; together we have a collective purpose which has Te
Tiriti o Waitangi at its core. Gathering on May Day is an
enactment of solidarity and unity which honours our past,
gives us hope, and reminds us of our responsibilities to
continue to advocate for a fair and just future for our
tamariki and mokopuna. We’re calling for our Government
and our employers to remind themselves of that
responsibility too.’
Rachel from E Tū said
‘because this coalition is anti-worker, anti-union,
anti-maori, and anti-health’.
Rachel from PSA said
‘I support the unions because people working together are
more powerful than any government.’
Whatever your
union and whatever matters most to you and your workmates,
please join us at the union meeting this May Day so that we
can keep building our relationships and strength as a
movement for workers’ rights. Our rights as workers are,
after all, human
rights.
