Author: E tū

New Zealand unions take on Uber

Posted on July 19, 2021 by - General

E tū and First Union today filed a claim in the Employment Court seeking employment rights for Uber drivers.

The claim asks the court to declare that Uber drivers are employees and are entitled to the same minimum wage rates and leave entitlements as other New Zealand workers.

Uber has traditionally argued that their 7000 drivers are not employees or contractors but are simply paying to use the Uber app in order to connect them to passengers.

Uber have also stated that they are not in the business of passenger transport, but simply providing a platform for independent business operators to connect with customers.

E tū spokesperson Yvette Taylor said that this case follows similar cases in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and parts of the USA, which had ruled in favour of the drivers.

“The Uber system is designed to get around New Zealand employment laws and deprive the drivers of their minimum legal entitlements,” Yvette says.

“Gig workers, such as those employed by Uber, are at the forefront of a new form of exploitation where management is replaced by an algorithm built into an app, with its ability to deactivate workers without reason and take away their income.”

ENDS

Our week in action – 16 July 2021

Posted on July 16, 2021 by - General

Members win 8% at McKechnie’s Aluminium in Taranaki

After nearly 18 months of bargaining, standing strong to fight off proposed clawbacks of redundancy, sick leave and allowances, McKechnie’s workers have won an 8% increase over 30 months – their best pay rise since 2005!

The proposal was narrowly accepted by members, who remain unified despite having a close vote.  Thirteen new ember-leaders have been confirmed, making our delegate and member-leader team 17 strong.  During the course of negotiations, our membership grew by 15 members, bringing us over 80%. 

E tū and First Union to take Uber to court

We announced that we will go to court seeking employment rights for Uber drivers. We want the court to declare that Uber drivers are employees and deserve the same minimum standards (such as pay and leave) as other workers.

This case follows similar cases in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and parts of the USA, which had ruled in favour of the drivers.

E tū Job Match and Solidarity Membership launched

We have re-launched our Job Match service, to help people find and prepare for new jobs, and our Solidarity Membership, for members and non-members alike to pay from just $2 a week to further support our important work.

Click here to check out E tū Job Match

Click here to check out Solidarity Membership

Komiti Pasifika Auckland Fono

E tū’s Komiti Pasifika held their Northern Regional Fono today, to celebrate the successes of the Komiti and plan for the future. Today members met with EEO Human Rights Commissioner Dr Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo about becoming an active force in the Commission’s Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry.

Geneva Health home support worker ratification meetings

Posted on July 12, 2021 by - Community Support

Come along to a meeting to ratify (vote on) your new collective agreement!

Note: These meetings are for HOME SUPPORT WORKERS ONLY.

Your bargaining team has been working hard, and we’re excited to let you know that it’s time for you to have your say and vote on your proposed new collective agreement!

Please attend one of the following meetings. They will be one-hour long and paid for union members, including those who join at the meetings.

Mobile users – please scroll to the right to view this table in full.

AreaSuburbDateStartVenueAddress
NorthlandWhangareiWednesday, 28 July 20211:00 PMMcDonalds WhangareiCnr Bank & Apirana Sts, 145 Bank St 
NorthlandWhangareiThursday, 29 July 20211:00 PMMcDonalds WhangareiCnr Bank & Apirana Sts, 145 Bank St 
NorthlandRuakakaWednesday, 11 August 20211:00 PMThe Porthouse 163 State Highway 15A
NorthlandDargavilleThursday, 12 August 20211:00 PMBlah Blah Blash101 Victoria St
AucklandWarkworthThursday 5th August, 20211:30 PMWarkworth Community Hall corner of Neville and Alnwick St
AucklandOrewaFriday 30th July  20211:30 PMOrewa Community Hall40/46 Orewa Square.
AucklandAlbanyWednesday 11th August 20211:30 PMAlbany Geneva Office 112/119 Apollo Drive, Albany.  Ph 916 0200
AucklandHelensvilleFriday 6th August 20211:30 PMHelensville Library 49 Commercial Road, Hellensville
AucklandNorthcote Wednesday 28th July1:30 PMNorthcote War Memorial Hall 2 Rodney Road, Northcote Point
AucklandMt Albert Thursday 29th July 20211:30 PMMt Albert War Memorial Hall 773 New North Road, Mt Albert (next to Rocket Park)
AucklandMangereTuesday 3rd August 20211:30 PMClover Park Community House16A Israel Avenue, Clover Park
AucklandManukauWednesday 4th August 20211:30 PMFriendship House Manukau Town Centre20 Putney Way, Manukau
AucklandBirkenhead Tuesday 27th July 20211:30 PMHighbury House110 Hinemoa Street, Birkenhead. 
WaikatoHamiltonMonday, 26 July 20211:30 PMPSA Hamilton Office, Taupiri Room489 Anglesea Street
Bay of PlentyTaurangaWednesday, 28 July 20211:30 PMThe Historic Village17th Avenue West
Bay of PlentyRotoruaThursday, 29 July 20211:30 PMThe Arts Village1240 Hinemaru Street
East Coast / TairawhitiGisborneMonday 2nd August 20211:00 PMtbctbc
TaranakiNew PlymouthWednesday 21 July 202111:00AME tū office109 Vivian Street, New Plymouth. 
TaranakiNew PlymouthWednesday 21 July 20214:00 PME tū office109 Vivian Street, New Plymouth
TaranakiHaweraThursday 22nd July 202111:00 AMTheatre Lounge Albion Street Hawera 
WhanganuiWhanganuiWednesday  21st July 20211:30 PMCaroline’s Boatshed181 Somme Parade, Aramoho, Whanganui 
ManawatuPalmerston North Tuesday 20th July 202112 NOONE tū Office 234 Broadway Ave, Palmerston North
ManawatuPalmerston North Tuesday 20th July 20212:00 PME tū Office 234 Broadway Ave, Palmerston North
ManawatuPalmerston North Tuesday 20th July 20214:00 PME tū Office 234 Broadway Ave, Palmerston North
HorowhenuaLevinThursday 22nd July 20211:30 PMCosmopolitan ClubOxford Street
WairarapaMastertonThursday, 22 July 20212:00 PMREAP Wairarapa340 Queen Street
Wellington RegionHuttThursday, 22 July 20212:00 PMNZPFU Boardroom178 Jackson St, Petone
Wellington RegionKapatiTuesday, 27 July 20212:00 PMKapiti Impact Hub6 Tongariro Street, Paraparaumu
Wellington RegionWellingtonWednesday, 28 July 20212:00 PMToitu Poneke49 Kilbirnie Crescent, Kilbirne
Wellington RegionPoriruaThursday, 5 August 20212:00 PMPorirua RSA5-7 McKillop Street, Rānui
TasmanMotuekaWednesday, 21 July 20212:00 PMToad Hall502 High Street
TasmanTakakaThursday, 29 July 20211:00 PMThe Wholemeal Café 60 Commercial Street 
MarlboroughBlenheimTuesday, 20 July 20213:00 PMFairweathers36 Scott Street
CanterburyShirleyMonday, 2 August 20211:00 PMShirley Rugby League Club33 Briggs Road
OtagoDunedinMonday, 9 August 20211:30 PMNew Life Church48 Stafford Street, Dunedin

‘Sense of mourning’ as Norske Skog mill set to close

Posted on June 10, 2021 by - Engineering, Infrastructure, and Extractions

Workers at Norske Skog’s Tasman Mill now know they’ll be losing their jobs in little over a month’s time.

On Wednesday afternoon, workers were told the mill will be stopping production from the end of June, with most taking redundancy from 16 July once a clean-up has been completed at the site.

The closure affects about 160 workers, including more than 30 E tū members who work in maintenance.

Delegate and E tū industry spokesperson Bruce Habgood says while there’s relief from some workers that there is more clarity around what their future holds, the sense of loss is real.

“There’s a strong sense of mourning that the mill is shutting down – it’s been a big part of the town’s history for several generations and is the reason Kawerau township was built in the first place.

“While the mill now isn’t the huge employer it used to be, there’s many other businesses that have been created to support it – and they may really suffer ‘death by a thousand cuts’ once the mill’s gone.”

Bruce says the closure highlights the importance of workers being unionised, so that they have access to collective agreements that contain redundancy provisions and protections.

“Some of the workers at the mill are of an age and skillset that means they aren’t so employable anymore and might never work again. We also really need businesses to have their own transition plans going forward so that workers have choices and alternatives.”

Outplacement services will be available to workers, but E tū will be looking at how to formally recognise workers’ skills gained on the job so they can take up other employment opportunities, Bruce says.

E tū organiser Raymond Wheeler says E tū will also be discussing re-skilling and training opportunities for all mill workers.

Having a ‘Just Transition’ plan in place is crucial to ensuring workers have a future when businesses close, and this includes provisions such as social insurance as the Government proposed in Budget 2021, he says.

“A Just Transition is vital, both now and for future generations to come, and is a concept which the Climate Change Commission has recognised is key in transitioning to a low-carbon future.

“We also need to continue to progress the Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) for the forestry and wood processing sector and see what can be done to bring more of the manufacturing supply chain back to Aotearoa New Zealand.”

ENDS

For more information and comment:
Raymond Wheeler, 027 597 5404

Commission lays foundation for necessary Just Transition

Posted on June 9, 2021 by - Politics

E tū welcomes the latest Climate Change Commission, He Pou a Rangi, report to the Government as it lays firm foundations for a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy.

Ināia tonu nei: a low emissions future for Aotearoa sets out a policy direction for a fair, inclusive, and equitable transition for workers and their communities.

E tū researcher Sam Huggard says the advice covers the core components advocated by E tū for a Just Transition: proactive transition planning with all parties at the table, widely accessible education and training, dedicated support for workers in transition, and better analysing the distributional impacts of climate policies on population groups.

“For key industries in transition, a collective approach is needed to map out the transferable skills across a workforce as a whole and actively manage the process of redeployment into new work.

“Workers know that change is coming to their jobs as a result of climate change and other trends, such as automation — that’s why a Just Transition is so necessary.

“We welcome the Commission’s recognition of the call from unions and others for this work to be secure, well paid, and decent work.”

Sam says the union also endorses the Commission’s views on the need to partner with iwi, hapū, and whānau to design an equitable transition that works for Māori, and to ensure Māori social and economic interests are protected and Te Tiriti is upheld.

“This report shows that the foundations have been laid for genuine involvement of workers in designing their future, which is necessary to give people confidence we can achieve this.”

However, key challenges remain, with significant investment needed to develop new industries or support existing ones to transition to a low-carbon future, he says.

“We think further government investment, beyond that set aside in Green Investment Finance and the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund, will be needed,” Sam says.

“Many of the support measures needed to mitigate the impact of decarbonising will come with a cost, and so we also need an honest debate and further action on tax reform, to ensure we are bringing in necessary revenue to fund the transition.”

ENDS

For more information and comment:
Sam Huggard, 021 462 148

Profile: Lalopua Sanele QSM

Posted on June 7, 2021 by - General, Public and Commercial Services

E tū leader, delegate, and cleaner Lalopua Sanele has been awarded a Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list 2021, for services to the union movement and Samoan community. Here’s a little bit more about Lalopua and her story of service.

Lalopua Sanele came to New Zealand in 1972 and was immediately involved in the Wellington Samoan Community based around her church – St Anne’s Catholic Church in Newtown.

From 1972 until 2010 she was an active member of the St Anne’s Church Choir and she joined the Samoan Mother’s Group in 1974, where she played a leadership role and was elected as their treasurer. She was later elected as the treasurer for the Church Samoan Community, a role she held until 2000.

In 2010 she moved with the Samoan Catholic Community to St Josephs Parish in Mount Victoria, where is still an active member of Iesu le Tupu choir.

Lalopua has been employed as a cleaner at Wellington Hospital since 1987. The majority of Wellington Hospital cleaners have, for the past 40 years, been mainly from Samoa or other Pacific nations.

Due to Lalopua’s ability to organise and advocate she was elected as a workplace union delegate.

Her involvement in the union lead her to become a leader in the Wellington Hotel and Hospital Workers Union (later becoming the Service and Food Workers Union and then E tū) Komiti Pasifika. She was elected on to the union’s regional executive and later the National Executive.

Lalopua represented her union at biennial NZ Council of Trade Union Komiti Pasifika Fono and also at the South Pacific and Oceania Council of Trade Unions Conference.

Lalopua is very active in advocating for the improvement of employment rights for workers, especially for vulnerable workers, such as cleaners. She was prominent in the campaign 1999-2004 to gain an amendment to the Employment Relations Act (Part 6A) in 2004 to protect the jobs and working conditions of cleaners during tendering processes. She was able to articulate the issues for cleaners from her own experience at Wellington Hospital in going through the process of contract change and the insecurity and stress that this caused the cleaners and their families.

She appears regularly before Parliamentary Select Committees on behalf of the union supporting improvements in statutory annual leave, rest breaks and improved rights for elected workplace representatives.

Lalopua is now a cleaning supervisor at Wellington Hospital and has completed 34 years service, including working through the recent Level 4 lockdown overseeing the infection control measures put in place for hospital cleaning.

E tū supports International Cabin Crew Day today

Posted on May 31, 2021 by - Aviation

E tū is the biggest aviation union in Aotearoa New Zealand and we are proud to stand with the the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) on International Cabin Crew Day.

The aviation industry has been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis. From massive job losses to significant health hazards, cabin crew across the globe are doing it tough. E tū supports the ITF’s priorities for 2021:

Vaccination priority – prioritises cabin crew to receive vaccines as they are front line workers and vaccination is essential for the restart of the industry. E tū is pleased that in Aotearoa New Zealand, we have made great progress here. We support other unions to achieve the same.

Recertification – Training during the pandemic has shifted from normal operations. This has affected confidence in cabin crew returning to work and dealing with high risk situations on boards. Cabin crew need to go back to permanent roles via safe, hands-on, training and standards.

Disruptive passengers – Crew are faced with an increase in disruptive passenger incidents due to the ongoing pandemic and procedures on board – the Montreal Protocol 2014, which was designed to ensure proper prosecution of disruptive passengers, remains unsigned by many countries. This protocol serves as a crucial tool to ensure offenders are correctly prosecuted and do not have an opportunity to re-offend. All countries should sign up to the protocol.

Mental health – Mental health of aviation workers has been severely affected by COVID 19 and the decimation of the industry. Mental health needs to be a priority going forward in the formation of well-being protocols, critical responses programs and return to normal operations incentives. The pandemic has shown us all the importance of focusing on well-being and mental health.

Budget 2021: Social insurance “long overdue”

Posted on May 20, 2021 by - General, Politics

E tū is celebrating the release of Budget 2021 today, which makes significant moves improve the lives of Aotearoa’s workers and their communities.

In particular, E tū applauds the plan for an ACC-style ‘social insurance’ scheme, which would give workers income protection if they lose their jobs.

E tū Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman says it’s great that the Government are prioritising the idea, which was in the Labour Party’s 2020 election manifesto.

“COVID-19 reminded us again how important it is to support people as they move in and out of work,” Annie says.

“Losing an income, even for a short while, can have extremely negative effects on workers and their families. Social insurance schemes have been proven to work well to mitigate this in many other counties, and its high time that Aotearoa New Zealand caught up.

“We fully support the idea and urge the Government to move quickly on this, as it is long overdue.”

E tū home support members will be celebrating increases for in-between travel.

“Finally, there is funding for home support workers to be paid properly when they are travelling between clients. Until 2015, workers weren’t paid at all for this travel. E tū members won the minimum wage for that time spent in the car, and Budget 2021 will see them getting their proper wage for that part of their work.

“There’s also funding for home support workers to have proper paid breaks – which is also long overdue.

“MSD security guards can also celebrate, with the Government’s commitment to paying them the Living Wage now cemented in the Budget.”

The Budget contains more pro-worker initiatives, such as restoring the Training Incentive Allowance, new funding for vocational education growth, and a further commitment to a Just Transition.

“Increased capital funding for Green Investment Finance will support growth in new, clean industries to replace those in fossil fuel sectors – but workers will need an assurance that this investment will lead to good, secure jobs.”

Annie says there is a lot more to celebrate in this Budget.

“We are very happy that the Government is finally making substantial moves on raising benefits – this will help people who lose their jobs from now, before the social insurance scheme is implemented. It will mean that if people are out of work long term, for whatever reason, they can live happier and healthier lives.

“We also commend initiatives supporting tangata whenua, new investment in education, and a lot more.

“Finance Minister Grant Robertson has described the three Budgets this term as a ‘package’ – we are looking forward to the next instalments for workers and our communities.”

ENDS

For more information and comment:
Annie Newman, 027 204 6340