The Alliance has launched an email campaign to say no to the free trade deal with China.
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In the next few weeks, Helen Clark will travel to Beijing to sign a free trade agreement between New Zealand and China. The Alliance Party has grave concerns about what this will mean for New Zealand and New Zealand workers. China’s standards with regard to labour conditions and pay rates, protection of the environment and human rights fall far short of what most New Zealanders would consider to be acceptable. The use of cross border labour with inferior conditions, contracting out, aggressive corporates, and a hands off approach by government will push down wages and conditions for workers and put even more pressure on our fragile environment.
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Posted by Admin as Campaigns at 12:30 PM UTC
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The Alliance Party has slammed an email letter to Air New Zealand customers where CEO Rob Fyfe dismisses extensive media coverage of underpaid Chinese air crews as “misleading” and offers “ludicrously low fares” to China.
Alliance Party co-leader Victor Billot says the letter’s contents are “crass and patronizing.”
The email from Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe praises the abilities of Chinese air crew – while stating that Chinese crew “are paid on a par with their New Zealand-based counterparts on an hours-worked basis.”
Mr Billot says “Rob Fyfe knows his Chinese air crew are unhappy. That’s why they talked to the press. There is nothing misleading about media reports on this scandal. The underpaid Chinese air crew who spoke out took a major risk to do so as they do not have access to independent trade unions or media coverage in their own country – a situation Mr Fyfe would no doubt like to see duplicated in New Zealand.”
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Posted by Admin as Media releases at 12:27 PM UTC
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The latest revaluation of Meridian Energy may lead to hardship and possibly death, says the Alliance Party.
Alliance Energy spokesman Ian Tinkler says he is shocked that the Government owned power company has yet again revalued its fixed assets upwards, and says this will lead to price increases this winter for ordinary consumers.
Mr Tinkler says the higher value of the assets will be used by Meridian to justify a higher profit.
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Posted by Admin as Media releases at 5:20 PM UTC
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The Alliance Party says the revelation that Air New Zealand is paying its overseas cabin crew below the minimum wage is a “red alert” to workers about what free trade deals will mean for New Zealand.
Alliance Party co-leader Victor Billot says the scandal is not an isolated incident at a notorious anti-worker company, but a timely warning of what the future holds.
“This situation is exactly what we will see more of under the free trade scam being pushed through behind closed doors – the use of cross-border labour with inferior conditions, contracting out, aggressive corporates, and a hands-off approach by Government – to push down wages and conditions for workers.”
Mr Billot says what is horrific about the situation is that what is effectively a publicly-owned enterprise has turned out to be the first in the queue to pay less than the minimum New Zealand wage. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Admin as Media releases at 3:31 PM UTC
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Come to the Rebel Alliance Talk Shop at Refuel on Tuesday 11 March, 7pm!
Our first meeting of the year is an informal get together at Refuel at the University Union.
Come along and say hi and talk to us about what role the Alliance - and the Campus group - is going to have this election year.
Bring your friends! Hope to see you there!
For more information, contact us here.
Posted by Admin as Branch Meetings, Events at 6:56 PM UTC
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