I have known Helen Kelly, the President of the CTU for quite a long time now. I admire her greatly. She has been, and is, an exceptional and passionate advocate for workers in New Zealand, and indeed internationally. I can appreciate the position she was in when National was elected and called on the union movement to be part of their Jobs Summit. I was a bit surprised when the CTU had John Key speak at their conference, but they felt this was a PM and the government that they should, and could, work with.
Just how let down Helen, and the workers she represents, are now feeling is clear from the letter that Helen has sent to the PM.
It is easy to feel the sense of betrayal in her words
She said he had breached his undertaking to consult her if the Government was going to move on union access and non-union collective bargaining.
“You also said you wanted to work with the unions,” she wrote. “And you portrayed yourself as a moderating influence in employment law matters. That has changed.”
I saw Helen at a function last night and I can report in person she is every bit as aggreived.
While the on-going debate will be and should be about the substance of the changes to workers rights and conditions, the role and the approach of the PM should not forgotten here. He led the union movement to believe he was their friend, but as soon as his perception of the political environment dictated a change, he moved swiftly to go against his word. That is a serious breach of trust, and one that I think the PM will live to regret.
I’m sure it’s little consolation, but even many of those who voted for him feel aggrieved and let down by Key. He clearly wants to follow the populist middle path, and while that seems to keep him high in the polls it’s not necessarily making the country any better as a result.
That poor woman
I doubt if Ms Kelly approached Mr Key with rose-tinted spectacles, but I imagine that she took a responsible position as CTU President, and sought to influence Mr Key in an open and trusting manner. When, as now, the PM treats the CTU(and its leadership) with contumely, it shows the measure of the man, which comes up very short. Relationships between the social partners are hard to build, but very easy to damage, and Mr Key has done serious, probably irreparable damage to his status that relationship.
This is as sad as the BRT whinging that the Labour government broke a promise to them.
Union = enemy of the centre right.
That John Key may have lied to them simply ups him in my estimation, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. He went down in my estimation when he even spoke with their terrorist organisation in the first place.
@ Ms Cactus: Such a moral and political compass.
Whatever happened to the days of union bovver boys bashing hecklers at public meetings, gosh I miss those.
John Key has seriously gone up in my estimation if he tricked the unions into thinking he was their pal. Somehow I don’t think this meme hold true though, he’s further left than Ross Robertson.
I don’t know Whaleoil, a loss of trust can irrepairably damage all kinds of working relationships, reducing both performance and profits now and in the future.
Jonkey may be considered a clever player – but in this move only from a very short term intra-party political perspective. If you want to consider the ability of our economy to succeed in the long and medium term – not so much, i would say.
Whaleoil, miss those days, you weren’t born or if you were you were never within coo-ee of a union protest.
Cactus that has to be one of the shallowest ill-informed things I have seen you write. I dont agree with much of what you post but you write it well and with support. This is beneath you.
Just for the record, what precise promises did the Labour party break that it had made to the Business round table during the last 9 years of Labour government?
Labour did move toward busineses in 9 years national couldn’t be further from the union movement.
BRT, when did that become an elected body to which anyone who wished could join? The comparisson (while I understand why you make it) is ill founded/illformed
Tracey
I am so sad you do not agree with me. I will need to go take a happy pill it has upset me so much that I am in tears.
You actually agree with my point. If Roger Kerr whinged that the Labour Party had lied to him when he represented big Business, would anyone supporting the current Labour Party/reading Red Alert actually care? Think it was a travesty? Nope, you would all laugh at him for being wet.
The Unions fund the Labour Party (fact) and run Labour’s election campaigns for heaven’s sake. They provide Labour with money, MP’s and membership resources and even the Party President – Three hats Little. The Unions do not support National, or ACT. Neither Party needs or seeks Union support or funding.
The left allege the BRT fund the National Party and ACT and those parties represent Big and medium sized Business interests over workers.
Why would National or any centre-right party seek support of Unions or be seen in any way to be cuddling up to them? It is irrelevant to their funding platform, membership or policy platforms to have Union support.
Elected body? When is a Union elected as an organisation? The Union reps are elected by members (just like the Board of the BRT are chosen by their membership). These members are then bullied into joining and participating by collectivity and stealth. Union representatives then bully employers and in many cases hold the public to ransom for more pay for their workers and advancement of collective agreements.
And the CTU President is having a whinge that John Key didn’t consult her….I am saying diddums.
Well, off the top of my head, how about the promise that no more than 5% of people would pay the top tax rate. What was it by 2008? 20%? More?
Besides, Key promised he would consult before restricting union access. Have they restricted access yet? No, just announced they hope to. Plenty of time to consult before the bill goes through.
Ahhhhh you miss the crucial point, which is not that consultation did not occur – it was that John Key had committed to consultation and that he subsequently went back on that commitment.
I guess it is even more clear now that John Key is a player who belongs to the class of managers you have to get everything signed in triplicate from as his word and a handshake can’t be trusted. With your “diddums” comment not only does it seem that John Key’s word is not his bond, but grass roots National party supporters probably consider him “really smart” and “worthy of admiration” for breaking his promise like that.
And to the best of my knowledge, the CTU doesn’t engage in underhanded astroturfing.
Tracey, I can well remember being assaulted by union members at public meetings during campaigns in the 80’s and 90’s. Mostly in Eden electorate.
I also remember being assaulted by a Union official, who later became a cabinet minister when I crossed a picket line to go to work (it was a mistake he regretted immediately, but in retribution for my resisting the assault arranged for my locker to be filled with shaving foam every day for a month, and for my docket books and possessions to be graffitied with the words SCAB in big black letters. It wasn’t until the union rep decided to doorstep me and I sat him back on his heels in one blow that the hassles stopped.
By that time I had a permanent exemption from having to join a union on the basis of personal beliefs. I still have the card. Those were the days of compulsory unionism.
Yes, those were the days, I well remember them and the bruises.
Take the whole bottle of pills Prickly Pear, and swill them down with yet another case of champagne.
“If Roger Kerr whinged that the Labour Party had lied to him when he represented big Business,”
So you’re saying he didnt actually have any promises broken to him by the Labour party, unlike Ms Kelly claims John Key has.
As long as people like you and whale demonise the union movement the gulf will remain, you will rejoice at a National government and lament the Labour ones, unles the damage cant be undone in one or two terms.
I dont see all business as evil, including the BRT. BUT I can join a union far easier than I can join the BRT.
I may be old fashioned but I enjoyed the period in the NZ politics from 1999 – 2008 where the government worked very hard to keep its word – even where it would have been politically easier not to. Too often in the 1980s and 1990s politicians were seen as cynics and liars. I had hoped we were past that point but alas it appears otherwise.
It is very hard to have good government without trust – and when one politician is proven to be a liar we all suffer a loss of trust.
Not al blows are as easily identified as physical ones… I’m not happy you were assaulted, far from it. But like you said about mr bethune, he knew the consequences before he boarded that ship, and you knew what would happen if you crossed the picket line, or had a fair idea.
and peter @ 3.16pm you know the change was made clear before the election – who would pay more and what the rate would be. Never outlawed drags even those of the fiscal variety.
Sorry to burst your bubble Trev, but we still saw politicians as cynics and liars during that period you remember fondly.
I also remember Cullen saying the top tax rate would only apply to the top 5%. That it crept well above that was instrumental to me switching teams (that, Winston and the EFB)
“Nearly all union members got a pay rise above inflation – 50% got 1-3% above inflation, 25% got more. Nearly all non-union workers got an effective pay cut – 50% got 2% less than inflation, a few did even worse.”
And kudos to Union AND employers for this agreement. The polarised views of whaleoil and cactus, as well as those on the other side who think all business owners are evil, don’t serve anyone, and stupidly, almost never serve the interests they purport to advance.
“he knew the consequences before he boarded that ship, and you knew what would happen if you crossed the picket line, or had a fair idea.”
The very obvious difference being Bethune chose to get on that ship while many people don’t have a choice about going to work (bills and all that)…
@ Cactus Kate And the CTU President is having a whinge that John Key didn’t consult her….I am saying diddums
The issue isn’t that Key didn’t consult her.
It’s that he apparently said that he would consult and apparently said that he wanted to work constructively with the CTU, but then didn’t.
Lying to them is worse than just ignoring them all along. It hasn’t really cost the unions anything, and makes Key appear to be untrustworthy.
Brave guy.
Of course he had a choice Jeremy, he might not have liked the choice but he had one. Some people do decide, rightly or wrongly, to put a philosophy, ideology or strongly held belief ahead of their immediate situation, being able to see the bigger picture as it were. I admit they are a rarity on all sides of the political spectrum.
@labrat – and at the point the rate was announced it did. We announced tax policy before each election and won twice afterwards. People didn’t always like us or the policy but they generally knew what they were getting and that they were not being lied to.
I think a certain “pledge card” stated Labours intentions, and as the term progressed we saw the pledges either be stretched or forgotten. The 5% one was the most obvious one to disappear completely.
He may have crossed the picket line simply because he had kids to feed and couldn’t afford to strike, hardly a choice then and not one you deserve to be punched for…
I crossed the picket line because I had a job, was happy with my pay rates, didn’t belong to the union because i have a lifetime exemption, and don’t subscribe to blackmail, and finally couldn’t see the point in striking for three weeks.
PLUS…I made a killing in overtime, and got to keep all the tips instead of splitting them with the slackers on the picket line.
@ Mallard – 4:08 “It is very hard to have good government without trust ”
Indeed – as I remember that is what you campaigned on last time “its all about trust” – the the public delivered you to the opposition.
Your memory of the publics trust in that labour government seems to be different than – well – the publics.
John Key and the NACTs were never going to be a friend to unions or to workers. I’m kind of shocked that the CTU could ever have thought they would be. All that sitting round the table with the affable captitalists from Biz NZ, with their psuedo moderation must have got the CTU ( and dare I say even the labour party) a bit addled. Good to see they’re (both) seeing things a bit more clearly now.
CTU represents a large chunk of workers.
It appears the reason for unions is not appreciated by some.
If unions disbanded would the BRT disappear also.
Unions arose out of class exploitation of powerless individuals with starving families and no protection from physical damage and worse.
It would be great if unions were not necessary but that is in the hands of the employers and their driving politcal organisations ever in search of greater wealth and profit. Nact represents them.
Truth and honour is incompatible with greed and lies.