Month: June 2019

Auckland: free measles immunisation clinic, 29 June

There is a measles outbreak in Auckland, with more than 126 confirmed cases this year. Don’t be a victim of this highly infectious illness which can be very serious. If you or anyone in your whanau is aged between 1 – 49 years and has not had one MMR vaccination, come get one FREE.

If you think you have measles, stay home and call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.

  • Date: Saturday 29 June
  • Time: 9.00am to 3.00pm
  • Venue: Waitakere Union Health Centre, Waitakere Hospital grounds, Lincoln Road, Henderson
  • Parking: on site, free
  • Registration (preferred but not essential): https://whoozin.com/FQH-73A-AHAE-9MG3

This free community health initiative is provided by Primary Health Organisations: Comprehensive Care, National Hauora Coalition, ProCare.

Links to measles information:

ERA win opens new ground for IDEA, pay rise on the way

A series of strikes by E tū members employed by IDEA Services has been critical evidence in persuading the Employment Relations Authority to accept a union application for facilitated bargaining.

The Authority ruled that seven escalating strike actions were “likely to affect the public interest” and impact on IDEA clients. That was enough for them to direct IDEA to sit down and talk.

E tū advocate Alastair Duncan says the union welcoms the decision but was disappointed that IDEA had turned down earlier attempts at facilitation, leaving staff with little option but to take industrial action.

“Now we have a decision from the Authority that cannot be ignored.  After months of stubbornness, we hope IDEA will come back to the negotiating table willing to address very real staff concerns around staffing, safety and job security.

“To date, IDEA has been unresponsive to union attempts to find a middle ground and we hope that a move into a more formal setting will assist.

“IDEA is the operation arm of IHC, which is a multimillion-dollar business dependant on public funding and public good will. We hope IDEA will now stop trying to cut the rights of the workforce.”

Meanwhile, IDEA care and support worker workers will be getting pay rises of between 50 cents and $1 an hour as a result of the ground breaking equal pay win.

“IDEA tried to undermine vocational staff when we won the case, but the good news is that every care worker at IDEA gets a pay rise from 1 July,” Alastair says.

E tū will be holding paid membership meetings in August to report progress.

E tū welcomes BERL Fair Pay Agreement report

E tū has welcomed the BERL independent report emphasising the role of Fair Pay Agreements in making lives better for Kiwi workers.

E tū Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman says the findings aren’t a surprise, as New Zealand is in the minority of OECD countries that don’t have industry bargaining in the private sector, contributing to our poor record on poverty and inequality.

“The countries with the highest standards of living invariably have national or sector bargaining that ensures decent living standards. We do not.

“Fair Pay Agreements are well overdue in Aotearoa New Zealand, as workers have suffered from inadequate laws.”

Annie says that cleaning and security are two industries in real need of sector-wide bargaining.

“One of the main problems in security and cleaning is the contracting model, which sees companies in a race to the bottom with wages and conditions.

“Some of the biggest companies have told us they’d really like to pay better wages but can’t afford it as they’ll be undercut by exploitative employers. Fair Pay Agreements can be a solution to that.”

E tū members spoke at the launch of the BERL report this morning, and the union is getting ready for a big push for Fair Pay Agreements.

“We’ve been campaigning for this since before the last election, and we were very excited to see Fair Pay Agreements in Labour policy,” Annie says.

“Now’s the time to see some action – low paid workers have waited long enough.”

IDEA strike on Sunday: info for members

Dear IDEA members,

Despite another full day of mediation on Thursday 20 June, IDEA failed to make an offer to settle your collective so Sunday’s strike starting at 9.00 am and continuing for 24 hours is on.

On Tuesday 25 June we’re going to the Employment Relations Authority to argue the case that IDEA has breached the law and to see a formal “facilitation”. Your strike action is a key part of winning that hearing as it is one of the criteria that can force a decision.

We expect IDEA to try and undercut that process by making a late offer over the weekend. We are pretty sure they will continue to push their attempt to make you even more “flexible” and are confident any offer will NOT address the need to value Senior Support staff or restore the weekend rates they took off staff many  years ago. 

At the mediation it did seem they might be ready to back down on their attempt to cut the health and safety rights at work. We put that down to the action and support shown by members to date. So don’t stop now.

Click here for details about your local picket.

Full membership meetings are being planned for July, so keep an eye out for those details which will be sent to you and published on the website.

Access workers begin four-day strike

PSA and E tū members at Access Community Health have voted overwhelmingly in favour of further industrial action after their latest pay talks stalled – more than a month after members first took to the streets for better pay.

The latest round of industrial action begins today across the country, with members on strike for up to four days from today, Friday 21 June until Monday 24 June.

Access Community Health coordinators, administrators, and call centre workers held a week of partial strikes and walkouts in mid-May, with further action in early June after efforts to negotiate a new pay deal failed.

“Our members are beyond frustrated by Access’s ongoing refusal to lift the wages of those who are some of their lowest paid workers,” says Melissa Woolley, PSA assistant national secretary.

“In one month of bargaining, Access have used bullying and intimidation tactics, undermined the bargaining process, and have made offers that would see disproportionate rates of increase between members.”

“Attempts to divide and silence our members have only made them more determined not to back down, as seen by our members continuing to vote overwhelmingly in favour of taking action and by an increase in membership since industrial action began in May.”

“We urge Access to come back to the bargaining table and offer a better deal for these workers,” says E tū Home Support coordinator Kirsty McCully.

“It’s time for Access to recognise these workers as the glue that holds Home Support together in New Zealand. Access’s failure to give their workers a fair increase is disrespectful to both the members, and to Access service users.”

ENDS

Member action:

Access coordination staff in Whangarei will be gathering with supporters in the Whangarei Town Centre to distribute information to the local community at 11am today, Friday 21 June.

For further information, contact:

Kirsty McCully E tū Home Support Coordinator ph: 027 204 6354

For any local Whangarei media interviews and information please contact Moana Witehira E tū organiser ph: 027 204 6367

24-hour strike at IDEA services after mediation fails

A 24-hour strike by E tū care and support workers employed by IDEA Services will go ahead on Sunday after eight day of failed mediation talks.

The workers will walk off the job at 9am on Sunday, returning to work at 9am on Monday.

Three thousand members are affected by the dispute which has been running for eight months and has seen six previous strikes including last Sunday’s 12-hour stoppage.

The members are seeking extra pay for senior support workers, weekend penal rates and the protection of key health and safety rights. They are also resisting IDEA Services demands for more flexibility over their rosters.

“Despite another full day of mediation on Thursday 20th June, IDEA failed to make any offer to settle, so Sunday’s strike is on”, says E tū advocate Alastair Duncan.

Alastair says the strike will affect up to 600 residential homes with many unionised workers “having a well-deserved and rare Sunday off to spend with loved ones,” he says.

There will also be pickets around the country to inform the public about their concerns –

particularly IDEA Service’s insistence on being allowed to roster workers anywhere, anytime.

“Under the guise of so called “flexibility” IDEA wants to undermine the job security of the very staff who support vulnerable New Zealanders,” says Alastair.

Alastair says penal rates for weekend remains a key claim.

“IDEA’s parent company IHC took away weekend rates during the dreadful days after the Employment Contracts Act became law. It is now time to once again respect the fact that weekend work deserves an extra pay margin.”

In an effort to break the deadlock, E tū has also applied for a formal facilitation hearing by the Employment Relations Authority, which is due to be heard on Tuesday.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Alastair Duncan E tū advocate ph. 027 245 6593

Another serious assault at Waikato DHB

A female security guard is off work and recovering after an assault at Waikato Hospital which has left her with a suspected broken nose.

The assault happened on Tuesday, when the guard was called to help with a highly agitated patient who was trying to leave the hospital.  The patient lashed out, giving our member a closed-fist punch to the nose.

It follows the assault on another female guard last month, which has left her with multiple facial fractures and off work for at least three months.

Allied Security is the security contractor for the Waikato District Health Board, and also the Canterbury DHB, where there have been four serious assaults on guards since Christmas.

E tū organiser, Iriaka Rauhihi says the union is appalled by the second serious assault in just over a month at the hospital.

“What are they waiting for – a fatality?

“Assaults are frequent at this DHB and we’re well aware of Allied Security’s record in Christchurch as well. Our members feel unsafe and I’m not the only one worried that someone will die if things don’t improve – our members are saying the same thing,” she says.

E tū Campaign Lead, Mat Danaher says the string of assaults has raised serious alarm bells.

“We are now looking at a record of failure to stem the on-going violence on hospital wards in Waikato and Christchurch,” says Mat.

He says DHBs are due to meet shortly with E tū to review hospital security – a move that’s long over-due.

“Violence on our hospital wards is a serious issue, affecting all staff. The nurses complain wards are unsafe and both they and our security members are frequently in the firing line.

“There are systemic failures including under-staffing, lack of training and poor health and safety processes. We are looking forward to the upcoming security review and welcome the fact that DHBs nationally are taking this issue seriously.”

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Iriaka Rauhihi E tū Senior Organiser ph. 27 544 8697 – Iriaka can speak for local Waikato members. 

Mat Danaher E tū Campaign Lead ph. 021 336 519 – Mat will be speaking on the situation nationally.   

Members “blind-sided” by Sanford job cuts proposal

E tū says its members at Sanford’s Bluff fish-processing plant have been blind-sided by job cuts proposed by the company. 

Up to 30 jobs – almost half Sanford’s Bluff workforce – could be lost if the proposal to move white-fish processing to Timaru goes ahead.

E tū organiser, Anna Huffstutler says members were completely in the dark about Sanford’s plans until they were suddenly called to a meeting on Tuesday.

“That was the first we’d heard of these plans,” says Anna.

“Our members were completely blind-sided. It had never been mentioned before. There was no discussion, not an inkling that this was happening,” she says.

“The members are shell-shocked, absolutely shell-shocked. They feel like they’ve been lied to. They are really angry. Some of them have worked there a long time.”

Anna says Sanford recently gained a resource consent to expand its salmon farms at Bluff, arguing this would bring jobs and benefits to the community.

“So, the community thought things were solid in Bluff because Sanford made a commitment that there would be more jobs if they got the consent. Now, what they’re saying is, that’s not going to happen for three years.

“People are furious, and they feel very misled.”

Anna says the move appears to be driven by profits.

“Sanford made a $66 million profit last year. So, I said to the CEO, Volker Kuntzsch, ‘How much is enough?’

“He told us shareholders want a $100 million profit and a 10 percent return on shares. So, it’s not like they’re doing this out of financial hardship,” says Anna.

“Bluff’s a small place. There are no other jobs, so they’d have to look outside Bluff. It’s a real blow.”

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Anna Huffstutler E tū organiser, ph. 027 209 7436

IDEA Services dispute escalates: 12-hour strike Sunday

A 12 hour strike this Sunday by care and support workers at IDEA Services will go ahead after two days of failed mediation this week.

The workers will be striking from 8.30am to 8.30pm.

Three thousand E tū members are affected by the dispute which has been running for eight months and has seen five previous strikes.

E tū union advocate Alastair Duncan says the 12-hour stoppage signals an escalation of strike action.

“To date we have held a series of one-hour stoppages in an effort to convince IDEA of the need to seriously respond to staff concerns around health and safety, workloads and job security,” says Alastair.

“At IDEA’s request we attended additional mediation this week only to find the employer had little constructive to add and only wanted to deal with ‘hypothetical’ bargaining scenarios, with no firm pay offers.”

The union has applied for a formal facilitation process, arguing the bargaining has become protracted and the employer has shown bad faith.

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Alastair Duncan E tū Industry Coordinator ph. 027 245 6593