Union members from worksites and unions right across Otago are meeting to speak up for working people’s rights tomorrow, Thursday 1 May, 12.30-1.30. As the weather forecast is for rain, we are relocating to the Union Hall at Otago University. All union members are invited to attend – many of you can attend during your paid work time – please check first with your union delegate/s and organiser.

Unless your workplace is already utopia – and we haven’t come across one yet – there is a good reason for all union members to come to this hui.

Union members and delegates from many different unions and workplaces have told us why they and their workmates and loved ones plan to attend.

For example,

Jasmine from PSA said ‘I am going to the rally to support my fellow union members in improving working conditions, reducing stress, increasing compensation, and an Aotearoa where honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an absolute priority.’

Mark from E Tū union said ‘Four years since we moved out of lockdown…it feels that we have forgotten about essential workers, the cleaners who keep things sanitary, the tradespeople who keep the heating running at retirement villages, the café workers taking abuse from disgruntled patrons. This government is attacking workers’ rights by redefining holidays and annual leave…They wish to roll back health and safety legislation. We need more than middle of the road centrism is not the solution to the fundamental erosion of New Zealand workers’ rights…NZ workers deserve better rights, and we deserve people in positions of power who will fight for us and never leave us behind.’

Marita from NZNO said ‘I am standing up to be counted,. The Health System is in Crisis. It’s obvious, we need to fix it...We need real funding, not a Band Aid. Listen to Your People’.

Brandon from TEU said ‘Real wages are being driven down, and this coalition government is making thousands of people unemployed then attacking their benefits too. Meanwhile, education funding is being slashed to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Our trade unions are pushing back, fighting for fair pay and dignified conditions…’

Ali from PSA said ‘The spirit of coming together can achieve outcomes far greater than what any of us could accomplish alone. May Day…is a moment to stand shoulder to shoulder, not just for ourselves, but for everyone who deserves dignity at work and across Aotearoa New Zealand. At the most basic level, I expect our government and employers to recognise the rights of workers, to honour our contributions, to pay a living wage, and to ensure that no one is left behind. That means prioritizing the rights and wellbeing of marginalized groups... That means a genuine commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi… working collectively toward equity, tino rangatiratanga, and justice at every level of society. It also means actively closing the gender pay gap and addressing the unjust income disparities between senior management and frontline staff.’

Cath from Workers FIRST union said ‘Bus drivers are grateful to the Otago Regional Councillors for ensuring that we are paid a living wage. This has made a huge difference to drivers’ lives and to that of our loved ones’.

Kelly from PSA said ‘Collective action is important because it provides a space for people to have a voice and gives us an opportunity to come together in Kotahitanga (unity/solidarity). It breaks down barriers & divisions…The Government and their elitist friends try to divide us when it comes to class issues …We need to put our differences aside and focus on what impacts us all and work together to make real change. We have the numbers so we can effect change but we need to have people willing to put things in action as a collective'.

Simone from NZNO said ‘As health care workers in an increasingly stretched health care system we are needing to make a stand even more than before, to fight for improved conditions for our fellow staff and better outcomes for the welfare of our residents and their whanau’

Ray from E Tū said he will be presenting a remit at the hui ‘demanding a better deal for working people’. ‘People are struggling to keep up with inflation at wage talks, sometimes it’s just a kick in the teeth’, he said.

Rauhina from TEU said ‘Over the past year, we have witnessed people power win under the most anti-worker and anti-Māori government our country has ever seen. The long arc towards justice is not over. I’ll be showing up this May Day alongside my fellow TEU members because as Māori, and as a member of a union, I locate myself within a place, I identify with a diverse array of people; together we have a collective purpose which has Te Tiriti o Waitangi at its core. Gathering on May Day is an enactment of solidarity and unity which honours our past, gives us hope, and reminds us of our responsibilities to continue to advocate for a fair and just future for our tamariki and mokopuna. We’re calling for our Government and our employers to remind themselves of that responsibility too.’

Rachel from E Tū said ‘because this coalition is anti-worker, anti-union, anti-maori, and anti-health’.

Rachel from PSA said ‘I support the unions because people working together are more powerful than any government.’

Whatever your union and whatever matters most to you and your workmates, please join us at the union meeting this May Day so that we can keep building our relationships and strength as a movement for workers’ rights. Our rights as workers are, after all, human rights.

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