Category: Communications

E tū members at Maori TV are on strike as of 6am this morning for 24 hours.

The members will be picketing this morning outside Maori TV’s South Auckland studios from 10 am.

The strike follows the failure of the company to settle members’ Collective Agreement, after talks last Thursday collapsed.

“We were really close on the money offered and we were very close on addressing the humiliation our members feel in the wake of the favourable treatment by Maori TV of its non-union members,” says Joe Gallagher, E tū Industry Coordinator.

“Maori TV promotes itself on values and treating people with dignity. But the company’s lack of respect for our members is what this dispute is all about,” says Joe.

ENDS

What: Maori TV picket

Where: 433 East Tāmaki Road, East Tāmaki, Auckland

When: 10am 8 August

For further information, contact;

Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator ph. 027 591 0015

Union members at Maori TV will walk off the job for 24 hours on August 8 in protest over the TV channel’s unfair and discriminatory treatment.

E tū Industry Coordinator, Joe Gallagher says the action follows months of delays by MTV in addressing members’ pay claims, with the company telling the union in October that it had no money.

“We were told they were waiting for the board to provide guidance on a new financial management plan and they’d come back with an answer in a couple of week.

“We were supposed to reconvene for talks in November, but we heard nothing by Christmas.

“then we were informed by our members that Maori TV had through performance appraisals had paid non-union staff a bonus before Xmas and a wage adjustment in Jan this year.

We think they’ve undermined the bargaining process by telling us they have no money while giving bonuses and a pay rise to non-union workers.”

And so, our members feel they’ve been discriminated against for being, and belonging to E tū.

Joe says Maori TV has not acted in good faith.

“That despite their claiming to be a values-based organisation, but they don’t seem to live those values, despite the union working to build a good relationship.”

“The direction and behaviour of the management at MTV is seriously lacking for a company and organisation which promotes the values of tikanga.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Joe Gallagher, E tū Industry Coordinator ph. 027 591 0015

Workers at Blue Star Group’s four print shops are taking industrial action, with an overtime ban in place from just after midnight tonight.

The overtime ban will affect McCollams Print and Nicholson Print in Auckland as well as Format Print and Print Link in Wellington, which prints the Budget.

E tū Industry Coordinator, Joe Gallagher says the industrial action is a response to Blue Star’s unreasonable demands during bargaining to renew the collective agreement, which expired last year.

“The company wants to claw back terms and conditions related to shift arrangements,” says Joe.

“At the moment, they can change shifts if workers agree. But Blue Star wants to be able to do this as of right. They’ve told us if workers don’t agree to this they can apply for voluntary redundancy. In other words, take it or leave it, which is unacceptable,”.

“This would leave these workers with no control over their lives, their time with their kids and families and what they do on the weekend.”

Joe says members want to preserve their right to consultation “because they’ve built their lives around their working arrangements.”

Member are also unhappy over Blue Star’s demand that workers disclose if they have a secondary job.

“I asked what business that is of theirs and they cited health and safety. But what they really want is the right to reach into other people’s lives.

“Instead of addressing issues of fair pay, they’re trying to dictate what workers do outside their working hours at Blue Star.”

Joe says the fact is many workers must work two jobs because of the high cost of living, especially in cities like Auckland and Wellington.

“We’re seeing growing evidence of the haves and have-nots. People are trying to survive and it’s getting tougher and tougher. And companies are responding by trying to claw back more and more from their workers,” he says.

Joe says members are also angry over Blue Star’s refusal to agree to back-pay any pay rise to the expiry date of their collective agreement.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Joe Gallagher, E tū Industry Coordinator, ph. 027 591 0015

E tū is issuing a plea for people to stop making false complaints about power outages, as lines crews work around the clock to reconnect Aucklanders after last week’s massive storm.

The common feedback from our members is that this is the most extensive damage they have seen resulting from large trees being ripped out of the ground and over the lines.

The power remains out in parts of West Auckland, with isolated outages in some suburbs.

E tū Industry Coordinator, Joe Gallagher says Vector and their contractors, Northpower and Electrix have brought in significant extra staff from outside of the Auckland region and crews are working long hours to get the power back on.

“We’d congratulate our many members working on this. They’ve been working basically non- stop since last Tuesday,” says Joe.

“In some cases, guys have had to be stood down because they’ve reached their fatigue hours – they’re working about 70 hours a week.”

Joe says the public is largely supportive of the crews and while most call-outs are genuine, some are not and that has put pressure on everyone working to reconnect Aucklanders.

“Some people ring up, saying, “Our power’s out,” only to find that the main switch was left off at the meter board as a safety precaution by private electricians.  So, the crews turn up, and there’s no problem.  But every time that happens, they can’t respond to someone else who needs their help.

“I would appeal to these people – do some basic checks first. You wouldn’t call an ambulance if it’s not an emergency, so consider if you really need help,” says Joe.

Joe says the safety of the crews on the ground is absolutely paramount for all concerned.

ENDS

For more information, contact;

Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator ph. 027 591 0015

E tū says more workers are coming forward to report labour abuses to the Labour Inspectorate lead investigation into Chorus contractors and subcontractors working on the ultrafast broadband network.

The investigation began just before Christmas, following reports of exploitative practices by Chorus subcontractors in Nelson where people worked for free, as so-called volunteers.

E tū’s Industry Coordinator Communications, Joe Gallagher says the union is working closely with the Labour Inspectorate, and a number of workers have been interviewed.

“We’ve been very encouraged by the number of people coming forward. We are working with them, ensuring they have contact with the Inspectorate to get this information into the investigation,” says Joe.

He cites reports from workers, including many migrants, which reveal a litany of illegal work practices.

They include illegal pay deductions, underpayment of wages or no payment for so-called ‘volunteers’, as well as health and safety breaches, no annual leave and sick leave, and inadequate equipment.

For many, the work is a way to meet immigration requirements for work permits and residency, but Joe says that’s left people vulnerable to exploitation.

“We saw the early cases come through in Nelson, but in Auckland alone there are 900 subcontractors to Chorus contractors, Visionstream and UCG. The potential scale of the problem is huge,” he says.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator, Communications ph. 027 591 0015

E tū is extremely disappointed with the confirmation today that the plastic card manufacturer, ABCorp is to close its Christchurch plant.

About 50 workers will lose their jobs after the company confirmed it was moving operations at the plant to Australia.

“We’re gutted about this,” says Joe Gallagher, E tū’s Industry Coordinator, Communications.

“The workers knew what was coming but that doesn’t make it any easier. These are good jobs with reasonable pay and conditions and that’s hard to find these days,” says Joe.

Joe says the union will be doing all it can to support the workers ahead of closure, which is scheduled for the end of March.

ABCorp Christchurch is one of several local firms to shut its doors and relocate across the Tasman, including Cadbury and Auckland company, Pastry House.

“These companies come over here, they create expectations for the people working for them, but there’s no loyalty. They lose a major contract or two, as happened here and just decide to move on,” Joe says.

However, he has reiterated the union’s view that the Government can help support local specialist firms through its procurement processes.

“ABCorp lost a major Government transport contract and several others.  This Government is committed to local workers and their families. We think that includes helping support local businesses producing quality products through Government procurement contracts where appropriate.”

ENDS

For more information, contact:
Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator Communications ph. 027 591 0015

E tū understands the employment practices of Chorus’s contractors and subcontractors will be the subject of an inquiry by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

This follows cases of unpaid workers on a “volunteer” scheme run by Chorus subcontractor, UCG in Nelson – which Chorus subsequently put a stop to.

A second case involved a Nelson man who was paid $12 an hour – more than 20 percent less than the minimum wage – by Chorus subcontractor, Frontier Communications.

E tū has welcomed the inquiry, saying it comes as workers for another Chorus contractor come forward.

“Our understanding is, the news of this inquiry has seriously rattled Chorus which has instructed its contractors and subcontractors to make sure their house is in order,” says Joe.

“We’re very supportive of this investigation – we’ve been seeking this for months.”

In the latest cases to emerge, migrant cablers faced multiple breaches of their employment contracts. For the first few weeks, instead of wages they only received an allowance of about $150 per week. Then, money was deducted from their pay though they weren’t told why.  They also worked up to 80 hours a week, some of it unpaid, while some weeks there was no work at all.

“Chorus has said any labour abuses involving its contractors are isolated cases,” says Joe.

“We think it’s the tip of the iceberg, but we do know Chorus has moved swiftly to issue a warning to its contractors.

“We have said before that any inquiry needs to ensure strict confidentiality for any workers prepared to speak out about what’s happening. That’s the only way to find out just how widespread this exploitation is, and to protect the jobs of these vulnerable workers,” he says.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator, Communications ph. 027 591 0015

Joe can put interested reporters in touch with two workers who are prepared to speak with media on condition of anonymity.

E tū says Chorus must be called to account after revelations about the work practices at Frontier Communications – a subcontractor to Chorus UFB cabling contractor, Visionstream.

Former Frontier Communications worker, Wilem Brown of Nelson says he was expected to install UFB cables, despite receiving no training, and was only paid $12.00 an hour – less than the minimum wage.

E tū’s Communications Industry Coordinator Joe Gallagher says Wilem’s story should be sounding alarm bells.

E tū’s Industry Coordinator, Communications, Joe Gallagher says Wilem’s story should be sounding alarm bells.

“First of all, there’s the human cost here. Wilem thought his new job was the start of a new career as a cable technician. Instead he was exploited and now he’s out of a job,” says Joe.

“Secondly, we believe his story is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve also had the case of the so-called “volunteers” working for free for Chorus subcontractor, UCG.

“While both cases have come to light in Nelson, there are similar problems elsewhere. It is clear Chorus’s contracting model is broken,” he says.

Joe says Chorus is under-funding its contractors and it’s time something was done to preserve the integrity of the UFB installation programme.

“We need an industry framework which provides clear employment conditions, sound parameters for health and safety and delivers a good outcome for the consumer,” he says.

Joe says a Government inquiry is also needed into the installation standards for this critical infrastructure.

“The pyramid nature of contracting is insidious. The further you get away from the source, the harder it is to hold companies to account.  But Chorus needs to be called to account,” says Joe.

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Joe Gallagher E tū Industry Coordinator, Communications ph. 027 591 0015