Press Release – Socialist Equality Group
More than a week ago, drivers employed by NZ Bus in Wellington voted against a sellout deal hatched by the Tramways Union and management. The offer, the third that the drivers have rejected, would have increased hourly wages to just two dollars above the legal minimum, while cutting overtime and weekend rates.
During the ratification meeting on June 23, drivers angrily denounced the union for promoting the agreement in the media, and for seeking to pressure workers into approving it. Union officials had distributed a memo declaring that if drivers voted against the rotten deal, they would face drawn-out industrial action with no chance of a better offer.
The Wellington bus drivers dispute and the case for rank-and-file committees
More than a week ago, drivers employed by NZ Bus in Wellington voted against a sellout deal hatched by the Tramways Union and management. The offer, the third that the drivers have rejected, would have increased hourly wages to just two dollars above the legal minimum, while cutting overtime and weekend rates.
Bus drivers picket during the April 23 lockout in Wellington [Credit: WSWS Media]
During the ratification meeting on June 23, drivers angrily denounced the union for promoting the agreement in the media, and for seeking to pressure workers into approving it. Union officials had distributed a memo declaring that if drivers voted against the rotten deal, they would face drawn-out industrial action with no chance of a better offer.
The statements reveal growing opposition in New Zealand and internationally to the Labour Party government’s plan to shut down the underground investigation into the 2010 Pike River mine disaster that killed 29 men.
Australian public mental health workers take stopwork action
After participating in limited rolling stopworks for the past three months, public mental health workers in the Australian state of Victoria are due to hold a state-wide stopwork on May 26 over their poor pay and conditions.
They will meet in Melbourne and march to parliament in support of an overdue enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA), having not taken industrial action since 2016.
They are seeking a 4 percent annual increase over the life of a four-year agreement, a one-off immediate pay increase to bring them in line with other health workers, recognition of current skills and qualifications, and other improvements to conditions.
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