Auckland University’s Dirty Laundry

Auckland University’s Dirty Laundry

by Omar Hamed

How much do you think one of Auckland University’s cleaners is paid? Take a guess. Then ask yourself, how much is a living wage in Auckland? A lot more than the $10.95 (70 cents above the minimum wage) most of the cleaners at Auckland University are paid that’s for sure.

The University of Auckland contracts it’s cleaning work to three large multi-national corporations. Spotless, the largest cleaning company in Aotearoa makes multi-million dollar profits and although the Spotless cleaners on campus, some of whom have worked here for eight years, have petitioned for decent hourly rates Spotless ignores them and continues to pay them at $10.95 including people who have been cleaning on campus for years. If you've ever tried living on $10.95, now think about trying to pay the rent, feed your kids and fund your petrol and upkeep on a car (which you will need to get to and from the CBD from Otara or Mangere to do your job). Now think about the debt you'll be in when you have to take a high interest loan to cover your bills... sound fair to you?

Spotless workers work between 11pm and 7am so the chances are that you have never seen them. On the other hand you will have seen their coworkers in Fresh and Clean who work between 6am and 3:30pm. Cleaners who work for Fresh And Clean are paid slightly more than those who work for Spotless. Some of the cleaners who work with Fresh and Clean then head down to the city at 3:30pm to start their secondary jobs cleaning the CBD offices blocks at 5pm. So after they finish their eight hour shift at Auckland University they head down to start another long shift because the university administration allows it’s contractors to get away with paying poverty wages. The third cleaning company is City Cleaning which pays it’s workers $10.95 as well.

Cleaning isn’t easy, as anyone who has done it will tell you. Campus cleaners work extremely hard and the work is difficult to fit into the hours they are paid for; many end up doing extra unpaid work to finish their floor quotas. Unrealistic work rates are a big problem in the cleaning industry because every time a contract changes, the company who wins the tender usually wins because they offer to do it for less than the existing contractor. This means that fewer cleaners are employed and fewer hours are given to fulfill the same contract.

The contracts change pretty regularly so it's a race to the bottom in the cleaning industry and it's the cleaners who bear the brunt of this. In Australia cleaners mostly earn between $17 and $20 per hour. If you compare this to what cleaners get paid in Auckland then you understand why this really is the university’s dirty laundry.

“My socks have holes in them. That's because I have to buy my socks from the second hand shop. I can't even afford the two-dollar socks from K-Mart," said Sue Lafaele, an Auckland cleaner. Sue asks, "Cleaners need respect for our work and to be paid a living wage - why shouldn't I be able to buy new socks like everyone else?"

The union representing the low paid, predominantly Pacific Island and Maori cleaning workforce is campaigning to change the cleaning industry. They need student support and solidarity. The campaign is a simple matter of social justice. If you work for 40 hours you should be able to afford to live. Cleaners want decent jobs, decent hourly rates and recognition of their experience and skills. Most of all they want respect for their work and for their lives, and an hourly rate that recognises their hard work.

There are three ways you can support cleaners on and off campus in their struggle for wage justice.

1. This one is really easy. Come to the Anti Poverty Day rally cleaners are organising - it's on Tuesday October 17th at 5pm. March up the street with cleaners and other low paid workers coming in to support their call for an end to poverty wages in New Zealand.
2. Tell the cleaners you support their campaign for better jobs and better pay - tell them they deserve it. It's a tough job. They appreciate your support.
3. Sign the petition calling on cleaning firms to be responsible contractors - to treat their workers with respect. A copy is available at the AUSA reception for people to sign.

The cleaner’s Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners is a global campaign working to make sure cleaners get respected for their work. Be a part of it and help us clean up this dirty industry. On the net: www.sfwu.org.nz

Published in Craccum 16/10/06

The TXT generation, Young workers and anti-capitalist struggle

The TXT generation, Young workers and anti-capitalist struggle

The title for this article was going to be “THE NEXT GENERATION: Young workers come into the struggle” but it seemed a bit disingenuous as its for the most part not true.

Sure, there have been massive successes in organising young people both here and overseas. Unite Union and Radical Youth are organising and mobilising low paid youth workers who have been leading strikes and pickets, as well as organising two big rallies down Queen Street and a one thousand student strong walkout. In France as I write the struggle is continuing against the CPE’s replacement law after mass mobilisations of students and the unemployed defeated the probationary employment law. In the US there has been mass mobilisations against a proposed immigration law, which has seen organisation and mobilisation unheralded of before in the Latino communities these demonstrators are coming from.

This is all fantastic action and a huge step for young people, but I can’t lie. Young people are still the TXT generation; they still spend more time sending text messages on their mobile phones than they do thinking let alone acting on political issues. Everything that’s been happening with youth over recent weeks is really inspiring especially in Latin America, the Philippines, Thailand and Nepal, but is it enough?

Young people, youth workers and students must come into the anti-capitalist struggle if we are to be effective in the long term. I look around my university and its easy to get depressed, corporations have put down roots in the student union buildings and its easy to think that rather than in the quad your actually in a mall. That’s because the student union lets businesses come in and set up stalls in the middle of the student area, turning a human space into the realm of capitalism. The social science departments are floundering as the business school grows and grows. Indoctrination is nearly complete, for example a student in my sociology class said, “I can’t imagine a world organised without hierarchy.”

Anti-capitalist activists need to reaffirm our commitment to promoting the self-organization of youth and students, this can be done through sharing with younger activists the skills and analysis that older activists take for granted, by providing resources for young activists and incorporating a diverse approach to incorporating young people into the struggle. I don’t think they were organizing union rallies by text message ten years ago and I certainly don’t think that many of the older generation of anti-capitalist activists grew up communicating via email either. However we as youth and students organize, one thing is for sure: the need to organize. Michael Albert wrote on the anti-capitalist struggle and I’d like to offer it here as a vision for the next generation of activists,

“If movements for social change unswervingly seek diversity, solidarity, equity, and self-management--peace and justice--and if they do it in a manner and with a tone and with tactics all of which seek to empower the weak and to meet the needs of the poor, they/we can win this struggle--and the struggle I have in mind to win, the one I think we are all in, is not just over a reform here or there--and it is not just over peace now and then--it is a struggle over who will decide the future and who the future will serve. Showdown indeed."

Published in Unity#2 Strikes: the Workers Weapon. Top photo of a masked activist at the annual Weapons conference, Te Papa, 17/10/06 by Juan Mon. juanmon.photos(nospam)gmail.com Second photo of students at radical Youth walk out 21/03/06

Dancing Poverty Wages into History

Dancing Poverty Wages into History
By Omar Hamed


In New Zealand, 16-17 year olds can be legally paid $8.20 an hour for the same work as an 18-year- old who gets at least $10.25. Under-16-year-olds can be paid whatever the employer decides. When myself and a ragged bunch of young workers and students grouped together we came to one conclusion.


Enough is Enough! Paying young people a lower wage for equal work is discrimination pure and simple. The issue of youth rates is similar to that of pay equality for women with men. In both cases, a member of a social grouping is discriminated against in the workplace because they are a member of that social grouping.

Over the last few months thousands of students and young people have taken to the streets to demand “Equal Work for Equal Pay”. We have marched, danced, sung, laughed, cheered and pulled together all our meager resources to create a campaign designed to abolish youth rates.

On Monday, March 20 at noon in the heart of Auckland¹s Central Business District, one thousand high school students who had walked out of school that morning rallied and marched up and down Queen Street. The students were demonstrating the power of collective direct action; using their feet to vote for the Green Party initiated Minimum Wage Amendment Bill that will scrap youth rates for sixteen and seventeen year olds, to be passed.
500 youth and their trade union allies marched down Queen Street to mark International Workers Day on May 1 this year to demand an end to discrimination based on age.

Just three days later the Ministry of Justice advised the government that youth rates is an abuse of the Bill of Rights Act, news that has been greeted with pleasant surprise from the emerging youth movement against low pay and discrimination.

The youth rates campaign has proved that youth do have the power. They have the power that rests in wrestling back control of our cities, communities and culture back from those who seek to turn us in to wage slaves, good for nothing but slaving away in McDonalds or Pizza Hut.
I am hopeful that youth rates will be history by the end of the year.
I am hopeful that this is just the beginning.
Watch
this
space.

Published in Morph #1 Community Arts Youth magazine of the Devonport Depot

Work Rights, Our Right

Hello. Yeah. I can see you there in the Quad. Cigarette held neatly between your fingers. Yep I can see you now. Expertly flicking away the ash at the tip, looking up and staring out over the empty coke bottles and chocolate wrappers that share this patch of campus with you. Or are you in a crowded lecture hall crammed in next to two kids who sit there furiously scribbling in their books whatever garbage comes out of the lecturer’s mouth? Or are you on the bus home, as the sun sullenly dips behind a row of deep gray clouds hanging over the Waitakeres?

Anyhow wherever you are it is important that you read this article. You’ve got the time to pick up Craccum for a quick flick through at least so you may as well read something worthwhile. I’ll tell you now that by reading this article you could affect the course of millions of New Zealanders lives. Or maybe you knew that already…

To fill you in: National Party MP Wayne Mapp has a bill before parliament that would leave workers with no employment rights in the first 90 days of any new job. Because in any 90 day period 297 000 New Zealanders change jobs that means nearly 300 000 of us will be without rights at work at any one time. This bill will make it perfectly legal for bosses to fire workers on the spot for any reason they like or simply for no reason at all. For seasonal and temporary workers this means no rights at work…ever.



But don’t be tricked by the propaganda. This bill isn’t about “probationary employment”, because we already have legislation that provides for employment on a probationary basis. Nor is this bill about reducing unemployment. We already have extremely low unemployment levels and this bill will just make it easier for workers to end up on the sack heap by stripping them of all legal protections from unfair employer practices like 89-day contracts. Now Mapp reckons we should look to the United States and Australia as a model of industrial relations law. But we need to see however the dangers of replicating Australian or US law. The US has this type of legislation and around 200 000 workers get the sack a year unfairly! In Australia they’ve just brought in this type of law and an engineer was fired for “smirking at the boss”. This isn’t really the kind of law we want in New Zealand if you ask most people.

“How did this get into New Zealand?” I hear you asking. Because the National Party and Act, NZ First, United Future and three Maori Party MPs (Tariana Turia, Te Ururoa Flavell and Pita Sharples) supported it. Pita Sharples has recently, however confirmed he will vote against the bill when the bill makes it to the second (and final) parliamentary reading. It’s now at the select committee stage. Labour and the Greens are staunchly against this, which means that whether the bill goes through or not largely depends on the vote of one or two MPs in the Maori Party. AUSA has policy against this bill but is yet to really raise its voice against the Bill.

However there is hope! A national campaign to “Kill the Bill” is in progress. There have been big rallies in Christchurch and Wellington. Workers unions are mobilising to meet the threat this bill poses to peoples work rights if it passes especially the threat it poses to students like you and me who hold down part time jobs, which usually don’t last longer than three months. The campaign will only succeed if students get involved and actively fight back and stand up for our rights! In France, students were able to defeat similar legislation with massive mobilisations and confrontations with riot police. They showed the way forward in how to fight injustice with mass direct action and a strategy, which required that the government back down. Luckily we don’t have to do anything as drastic as riot (just yet) to have our voices heard in Aotearoa. We do need to get out and join workers when they protest this attack on our work rights this week.

On Wednesday, August 23 there is a mass rally against the bill in Aotea Square at 12:30pm followed by a march down Queen Street. The rally is being organised by the Engineering Print and Manufacturing Union with participation from other community groups. So if you’re free on Wednesday make your way down to the rally or come at 1:30pm for the march if you’re planning on going to AUSA’s AGM. If we value our jobs and our communities we can’t let this bill go through. Anyhow. Thought I’d warn you now because if you decide not to get out there on Wednesday with the rest of us to protect our rights and this bill does pass don’t come blaming me when you get the sack for smirking at your boss next year. Cause I’ll be there. Rain or shine.For more information on the bill see www.workrghts.org.nz
Published in Craccum August 20, 2006

New Caledonia: Workers versus Globalisation

Workers in New Caledonia are Fighting Globalisation

“We all have the same goal and that's to fight globalisation wherever it hits us. It's only by joining our struggle together that we will stop globalisation”, wrote the spokesperson for the Union of Kanak and Exploited Workers (USTKE) Pierre Chauvat, a day before his union went to blockade the port in Nouméa, New Caledonia, where one of the largest multinational shipping corporations was planning to unload its cargo, guarded by armed forces.

The USTKE is fighting back at two multinational shipping corporations the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk Shipping who are attempting to force local shipping out of the Nouméa to Sydney shipping market at the cost of around 200 local jobs. The USTKE wants the freight volume to be restricted by a quota but the French colonial government and the shipping corporations aren’t going to step down without a fight. MSC is operating from Australia and Maersk from New Zealand.

USTKE have shown the Pacific the power of direct action, occupying the port for three weeks to prevent MSC and Maersk ships from docking and unloading their cargo. The struggle has involved twenty-four hour general strikes and dangerous skirmishes with police on the picket lines.

On the 22nd of June a general strike was on again for 24 hours with blockades of companies that use MSC for freight container transport. Coca Cola was closed by 300 strikers. Food distributors and paper industrial complex in the city were also shut down. Around 1,000 strikers held 4 blockades points, while discussions took place with an MSC manager that arrived from France yesterday.

Pierre Chauvat wrote before the blockades began that, “So far the USTKE rally and mobilisation is strong and continues to develop. People are now fully aware that globalisation is a real danger for the small Pacific Island economy and some commercial protections must be taken into account to allow New Caledonia economy to grow with local controls. The amazing thing to mention is that the local government is completely out of the matter, which means that politically, this local government is detached of crucial internal affairs of the country and all elected representative of house of Congress have shirked responsibilities.”

The USTKE is active in other struggles in New Caledonia as well its fight for workers rights. It is involved in the struggle against a Canadian mining giant's nickel project in the South of New Caledonia, which has encountered strong Kanak resistance including sabotage of about US $10 million worth of mining equipment. The mine site was occupied for several weeks until police evicted them. On the fourth of June eight thousand people rallied against the mine project and were addressed by anti-globalisation hero, radical French farmer and self described anarcho-syndicalist Jose Bove. Bove spent three weeks in jail for his part in the dismantling of a McDonalds restaurant to protest globalisation.

The struggles of the USTKE are one ripple of the continued resistance of Pacific people to colonisation in whichever form it takes; economic, political and environmental. Pierre Chauvat and the USTKE are on the frontlines of a struggle that affects everyone in the world as he points out, “Our struggle is a big one. MAERSK and MSC are very strong and it seems to be that they will not give up easily. Nor we. I hope your fights succeed. I believe that the social movement is on its way, especially if we look at what's happening in South America. Hope is in front of us.”

Published in the July issue of Workers Charter, Green Left Weely and on Indymedia.org.nz

Youth Pay Rates-Polling the People

The polls have almost closed and the government will soon be deciding whether to do away with the youth minimum wage through the Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill. OMAR HAMED of Radical Youth reflects back on the campaign and hits the streets one final time to see what youth have to say about their pay.

In New Zealand, 16 to 17-year-olds can be legally paid $8.20 per hour for the same work as an 18-year-old who gets at least $10.25. Under 16-year-olds can be paid whatever the employer decides in this country, as there is no set minimum wage for this age group.
When myself and a ragged bunch of young workers and students grouped together, we came to one conclusion.
Paying young people a lower wage for equal work is discrimination – pure and simple. The issue of youth rates is similar to that of pay equality for women with men. In both cases, a member of a social grouping is discriminated against in the workplace because they are a member of that group.

Standing up for a buck

Over the last few months, thousands of students and young people have taken to the streets to demand ‘Equal Work for Equal Pay’. We marched, danced, sung, laughed, cheered and pulled together all meagre resources to create a campaign designed to abolish youth rates.
On Monday March 20 on the stroke of noon in the heart of Auckland’s CBD, 1000 high school students rallied and marched up and down Queen Street.
They demonstrated the power of collective direct action; using their feet to vote for the passing of the Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill that will scrap youth rates for 16 and 17-year-olds.
This stance was backed up on International Workers Day on May 1 when 500 youth and trade union allies marched again down the main strip to demand an end to discrimination based on age.

Forward Movement

The Ministry of Justice has since advised the government that youth rates are an abuse of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – news that has been greeted with pleasant surprise from various youth movements.
In addition, Minister of Youth Affairs Nanaia Mahuta advocated for the abolition of youth rates earlier in the Tearaway May 06 issue.
“MYD has long advocated equal pay for equal work. I suspect there’ll be a number of factors that will effect the outcome and those will include how the economy is going and whether there are employers who can support a universal minimum wage.”
She adds that she will be watching with interest as for the outcome of the Transport and Industrial Relations select committee's deliberations on this issue
The ministry has been conducting a nationwide ‘tick-the-box’ campaign in an effort to give young New Zealanders a strong voice on the issue. The polls officially close on June 30.
Over 100,000 freepost postcards were distributed to secondary schools, technical institutes and through Tearaway magazine asking 12 to 24-year-olds what they think about youth minimum wages.
Green Party Industrial Relations spokesperson Sue Bradford – who first tabled the private members’ bill to parliament in December 2005 – pointed out that youth pay rates may already be illegal as a breach of the Bill of Rights.
She backed up the Ministry of Justice’s advice to the Attorney General, saying she would continue to “vigorously pursue (the) Bill to end discrimination based on age.”

The cost of change

Meanwhile, Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) employment services manager David Lowe warns that the removal of youth rates would result in an increase in teenage unemployment.
“The abolition of youth rates means a lot more teenagers would find work harder to get. School leavers already find it hard enough to get started. The option to pay minimum youth rates often gets teenage careers underway,” he says.
Citing a survey undertaken last year by the association, in which 14% of employers reported they were paying youth rates, Mr Lowe adds further weight to the opposing argument.
“Abolishing the youth rates would hurt teenagers more than help them, especially with the present economic outlook, because if an employer has a choice between a school leaver with no work experience, and a more experienced worker, they will choose the worker with more experience every time – unless there is an incentive to do otherwise.”

The Final Frontier

Regardless of the outcome, this campaign has proved that youth do have the power. They have the power that rests in wrestling back control of our cities, communities and culture.
Watch this space.

Published in the July issue of Tearaway