Auckland (The NZ Today)
Labour and the Green Party have made a joint pitch to workers in Auckland, using a large union gathering to promise stronger workplace protections, higher minimum wages and a return to pay equity laws if the current Government is replaced.
Hundreds of Workers First Union members attended a stop-work meeting at Go Media Stadium on Thursday, including retail staff, distribution workers, bus and truck drivers, ambulance workers and employees from manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was joined by Mt Roskill candidate Michael Wood and MP Camilla Belich, while the Greens were represented by co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick along with several MPs and candidates.
Workers First Union general secretary Dennis Maga challenged the politicians to spell out which employment protections they would restore and which current laws they would repeal.
Hipkins used the meeting to reinforce Labour’s commitment to restore pay equity legislation within its first 100 days in government. Labour’s published election policy also says it would reintroduce Fair Pay Agreements legislation and ensure the minimum wage continues to rise.
Hipkins argued workers had not seen wages keep pace with rising living costs and said Labour would prioritise pay and employment protections if elected.
The Greens pushed an even stronger union-focused message.
Davidson highlighted the party’s policy of making union membership the default for new employees, with workers retaining the ability to opt out. The party says the change would strengthen collective bargaining and improve access to union representation.
The Greens have also pledged to restore previous pay equity settings and fund a settlement for care and support workers whose claim was disrupted by changes made under the current Government.
Swarbrick used the meeting to urge workers to take part in the election, as campaigning intensifies with voting already underway.
The appearance of Labour and Green leaders together also carried obvious coalition significance, with both parties openly positioning themselves as potential partners in a change of government.
The two parties are not identical on workplace policy, but their messages to the union audience overlapped heavily on pay equity, collective bargaining and stronger employment protections.
Thursday’s meeting came on the same day the RNZ-Reid Research poll put Labour ahead of National and gave the Labour-Green bloc a possible path to government with support from Opportunity.
Source: RNZ
