Maritime Union of New Zealand

New Zealand union representatives will rally on Thursday 17 February 2011 outside the Mexican Embassy in Wellington at 12.30pm in support of Mexican workers’ rights as part of an international week of solidarity actions.

The participating unions will be the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ), Service and Food Workers’ Union (SFWU), National Distribution Union (NDU), Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), Financial Sector Union (Finsec) and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU).

Representatives will also seek to present a letter to the Charge D’Affaires at the Embassy urging the Mexican government to recognise workers’ rights and comply with UN ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association.

The Mexican Embassy is located at 187 Featherston Street.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has vowed to go on the offensive against employment law changes pushed through by the National Government.

The passing of the Employment Relations Act and Holidays Act Amendment Bills in Parliament yesterday spells the beginning of the end for the John Key Government, says the Union.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the law changes are about one thing – making life harder and sucking more profit out of hard pressed working people.

“On top of the GST hike on workers, unemployment, low wages, rewriting laws overnight for multinationals, and the continued attacks on the education system, the rot has set in for a National Government that has turned against the people.”

“These laws are an attack on workers. The National Government is against working people. John Key is a multi millionaire from the finance speculation sector and he represents multi millionaires. He has no interest in the wellbeing of the majority of New Zealanders.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union will be on the front line in fighting any laws that threaten the wellbeing of working people.

That would mean ramping up an ongoing campaign against the National Government and employers who used the new laws against workers.

Mr Fleetwood says the reality of what the law changes means may take some time to sink in for many people.

“As workers see their workmates sacked for stupid reasons or no reasons under the 90 day fire at will law, then disquiet and concern will turn to anger.”

He says the key issues for workers in New Zealand at the moment are low pay, unemployment and insecurity of jobs by contracting out and casualization.

“On all these issues the National Government has failed workers completely.”

“Workers in unions have better wages, conditions and representation. If you are a worker get in a union now, because this National Government is working against your interests.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says National’s announcement of attacks on workers rights will be fought hard.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the restrictions on union access to workplaces was a serious attack on the right of New Zealand workers to organize.

“National have now dropped any pretense of moderation in their policies – the phoney war is over and National’s agenda of tax cuts for the rich, privatization and now tearing up the basic rights of working people is out there for all to see.”

He says that National is embarking on a repeat of extremist 1990s policies but doing it in a more cunning way.

“The fact they have a smiley face fronting it this time around does not change the sinister intention.”

He says the attack on workers and their organizations is not surprising as the Government had failed to deal with unemployment, which was now rising again, and were looking to go on the offensive.

Mr Fleetwood says any attacks on workers would be met with fierce resistance.

He says unionized workers are one of the few obstacles to National creating a New Zealand where a majority of people would face an increasingly grim situation of high unemployment, poor wages, casualization and unaffordable housing and food.

“Unionized workers have better wages, better conditions, and safer workplaces – all reasons why National wants to bag unions and drag us back to the nineteenth century when workers had no rights.”

Mr Fleetwood says there is one way that New Zealand workers will “catch up with Australia.”

“That is to unionize and negotiate better pay.”

“The problem is that workers are getting less and less of a share of the wealth they produce which is being sucked up as corporate profits that accumulate to the already wealthy.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union would campaign hard against any Government that threatened the hard won rights of the working class to organize.

He says all working New Zealanders must realize that the divide and rule approach of National was hurting their interests.

ENDS

For more information, contact Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood on 021364649