Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has poured scorn on a bill introduced to Parliament by ACT MP Roger Douglas to reintroduce youth rates.

The Minimum Wage (Mitigation of Youth Unemployment) Amendment Bill was drawn from the Members’ bills ballot yesterday, and the Union is urging the Government to distance itself from it.

Maritime Union National President Phil Adams says the best thing to do would be for Roger Douglas to retire now before causing more harm.

“If he is so worried about younger workers, he could move aside and that would open up a job opportunity for a young worker with relevant ideas who is living in the real world.”

He says that Roger Douglas is pulling down an MPs salary, a parliamentary pension and national super, but he wants young people starting out in life to be trapped in low wages while accommodation, food and education costs skyrocketed.

Mr Adams says unemployment is a result of free market economic policies, and when New Zealand had a highly regulated economy and unionized workforce during the 1950s and 1960s it had high rates of economic growth and extremely low unemployment.

“Ever since we have gone down the Roger Douglas path, things have got worse for workers. Unemployment soared under his policies in the 1980s, it got worse when his ideas were carried on in the 1990s and now we have unemployment peaking again under the National Government once again.”

He says that training costs should be carried by employers, as they profited out of employing skilled workers so they should pay for their training.

Mr Adams says over the last generation, the share of income going to workers has decreased and the share of income going to owner’s profits has increased.

“The answer to boost employment and wages is simple. Lift the minimum wage, keep youth rates, get workers into unions, and make sure workers are getting their share of the wealth they produce.”

Youth rates were abolished in 2007.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand is supporting the Corrections Association in their protest today against prison privatization at the opening of Parliament.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the safety and security of workers comes before cost cutting measures, and the Government has lost the plot in its prisons policies.

The Union has spoken out against the use of shipping containers as makeshift jail cells.

Mr Fleetwood says that the Maritime Union is incensed that the only “maritime policy” the Government seems to have is using containers for jails.

“With tens of thousands of young New Zealanders joining the ranks of the unemployed, this Government is doing nothing to support New Zealand shipping and getting young people good careers in coastal shipping moving New Zealand goods in containers.”

“Instead young people from deprived backgrounds will languish on the dole and slip into anti-social activities – and end up inside shipping containers. The National Government should be ashamed of itself.”

Mr Fleetwood says areas such as prisons should never been privatized and used as profit making machines.

The uprising amongst New Zealand youth against low pay and insecure jobs is being backed by the Maritime Union.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says all workers should support young people who are taking part in campaign activities, including industrial action at fast food outlets and the recent street rallies and concerts.

“What we are seeing is the inevitable reaction from working class young people who have become a low-wage generation.”

He says youth rates need to be abolished, and there also needed to be ongoing increases in the minimum wage.

Youth rates are the youth minimum wage paid to young people who are 16 and 17. Currently the youth minimum wage is $7.60 per hour, and will go up on 27 March 2006 to $8.20 per hour.

The adult minimum wage (which is for people aged over 18), is $9.50 per hour, going up to $10.25 on 27 March 2006.

Mr Hanson says young people are being advised to go into debt for tertiary education, pay for housing and accommodation costs that are going through the roof, save for their retirement, and are constantly pressured by advertising to buy consumer goods.

“Try doing that on the minimum wage, let alone youth rates.”

Mr Hanson says the recent resistance in France to attacks on low-paid young workers was an indication that this was an international issue.

“We are witnessing the long overdue political and social awakening of a new generation.”

He says the attacks on vulnerable workers will continue, with the recent introduction to Parliament of a bill for “trial employment periods” in New Zealand.

“The fact is that any law like this would be used by some employers to hold the whip hand over their employees, especially those who are young, vulnerable and unsure of their rights.”