Union news for E tū members December 2020 www.etu.nz Super-Advice NZ has partnered with your Union - E tū. Super-Advice and E tū work closely together negotiating Financial Wellness concepts into your employment agreements. We do this by arranging for E tū is passionate about making sure you have access to the best your employer to pay for: insurances and financial advice – that is why we work together. ■ Income Protection Insurance As an E tū member – you can help make this happen! ■ Life Insurance If you like the idea of your employer funding insurances and ■ Additional KiwiSaver providing access to financial advice – raise this with your ContributionsContributions E tū Organiser. ■ To date we have been able to make $51,000 in payments to Your E tū Organiser Financial Advice Packages 0800 186 466 support E tū members that have Income Protection within their employment agreements. Jeremy Hoskin Super-Advice This is a new concept, so feel free to ask any questions. 022 355 0730 E tū National Standing Women’s Committee Conference: “He Korowai Awhina” Our vision is to strengthen women’s wellbeing, their connection to whānau and all communities. The National Women’s Standing Committee invites all E tū women to express interest in attending a conference that is inspired by you and your wellbeing. Date: 11–12 March 2021 Venue: Te Rongopai Marae, Lavenham Road, RD2 Waituhi, Gisborne E tū wāhine mā, E tū women of Aotearoa, E tū LGBTQI+ women, E tū Pasefika sisters, send your expressions of interest to [email protected] by 5.00pm, 8 January 2021. Please include your name, phone contact details, email and home addresses, employer, and Accommodation, disability access, and transport industry details. will be provided for those selected to attend. and you Contents 2 Editorial: Bill Newson 4 Election 2020 6 Beyond the election 7 E tū members in Parliament 8 Biennial Conference 2020 1 0 Conference remits 11 Member profile: Sela Mulitalo 1 2 Cleaners’ poetry anthology 13 E tū organising 17 Holiday rights www.etu.nz/join Union Support Presidents This magazine is published by E tū and distributed by post and email Call 0800 1 UNION (0800 186 466) Don Pryde and Muriel Tunoho to union members. Website www.etu.nz National Secretary This magazine is printed by union Email [email protected] Bill Newson members at Pivotal Print. Twitter @EtuUnion 027 538 4246 Editors: Amy Baker Facebook www.facebook.com/EtuUnion [email protected] and Sam Gribben National office Assistant National Secretary Designer: Eleanor McIntyre 7 McGregor Street Rachel Mackintosh Selected photography: Jason Fell Rongotai, Wellington 027 543 7942 [email protected] PO Box 14-277 Authorised by Bill Newson, 7 McGregor Kilbirnie, Wellington 6241 Annie Newman Street, Rongotai 027 204 6340 [email protected] Editorial: Bill Newson Editorial: What a year... Bill Newson, National Secretary Kia ora E tū members, Welcome to the final 2020 edition of our union magazine. You will find stories about our recent general election, our E tū conference, and various organising updates. This has certainly been a roller coaster year with huge challenges, uncertainty, and stress for many of our members and your families. I particularly acknowledge our members who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 business disruptions and those members who worked on the front line in essential jobs serving their fellow Kiwis during the heightened Alert Levels. E tū has a clear view that we must “rebuild better”, with a focus on supporting working people in decent jobs with fair wages and conditions. We know that requires a government that is prepared to step up and step in with progressive policies for all Kiwis. The “Red Tsunami” general election victory of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on 17 October was testament to outstanding leadership in times of crisis, confidence in economic and social stewardship, a forward-looking Labour Party policy platform, and a well-run campaign in which E tū members played a key part. Bill Newson addresses the E tū Biennial Delegate We will continue to assert a strong voice for our Conference 2020 members to ensure that the Government delivers on its employment-related policies. The clear lesson of COVID-19 is that we must Harris closely. The election of a woman of Indian improve the minimum sick leave entitlement and and Jamaican heritage to the Vice Presidency is an strengthen worker participation in health and safety extraordinary achievement for American federal in all workplaces. politics. We know that the way we set wages in this country Outgoing President Donald Trump is an ungracious does not work for workers. It doesn’t fairly and bitter loser. However, we should not lose redistribute the wealth that we create at work or sight of the fact that he resonated with millions of address wage stagnation. Part of the solution to working-class Americans who feel voiceless and this is to extend the Living Wage and to put in place have been harshly affected by neoliberal economic a relevant wages platform that sets a minimum deregulation. Trump was no real friend to working bar for wages and conditions in each industry that people and he was never going to bring the rust out all employers must observe. That’s what Fair Pay of their “rust belt”. But their desperation blinded Agreements are all about. them to his xenophobic deception and there are lessons in this that have been learnt before in the Members with an interest in American politics would mid-20th century. have followed the recent election of President- elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala E tū celebrated our own democracy in November with elected delegates attending our Biennial 2 www.etu.nz Editorial: Bill Newson Conference held over two days in Auckland’s Eden Park. This is our union’s highest policy-setting forum, and this edition of our magazine carries a full report. I think we can all agree that this has been a weird year. Phrases like “COVID test”, “family bubble”, “lockdown”, “wage subsidy”, “social distancing”, and “you’re on mute” became a new common language. We rose to the challenge of COVID-19 together in our beautiful South Pacific country and we have a Government that can steer and support us as we navigate the challenges ahead. We can be confident, and proud, that our union engaged with, served, and represented our members well throughout that challenging period. We remain focused on, and committed to, what needs to be done to rebuild better in times ahead. Thank you for being an E tū member and best wishes to all E tū members and your families on behalf of our Presidents and National Executive for the summer holiday period. Bill Newson National Secretary Celebrating union power at E tū’s Biennial Conference Remembering the Pike 29 Every year, E tū helps to organise a local event in Blackball to remember the 29 miners who were killed in the Pike River Mine disaster. This year marks a decade since we lost the ‘Pike 29’. On November 19, families, E tū officials and members, and the community came together for speeches and singing, to lay a wreath and place flowers made by local school children onto an old miner’s memorial wheel. E tū National President Don Pryde says the event is an especially important one for the community. Handmade flowers were placed alongside the miners’ names on an old mining wheel “E tū has been here every year since the disaster, and we’ll keep attending for as long as the families want us to.” the disaster – an important moment for the Our union was heavily involved in representing movement, Don says. the miners during the police and Department of “With the recovery of the drift currently underway, Labour investigations at the time of the tragedy, we hope this will provide some resolution for the and in the subsequent Royal Commission into miners’ families.” www.etu.nz 3 Election 2020 Election 2020: A win for working people The result of the 2020 General Election is excellent for E tū members. The Labour Party had a decisive victory, winning a historic result with 50% of the vote and is able to govern alone for the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand’s MMP history. The Green Party returned to Parliament and increased their number of MPs. Both these parties went into the election with strong policies for workers and E tū worked closely with them in our election campaign. The Government has a mandate for transformational changes in the workplace relations space, including the implementation of Fair Pay Agreements, the Living Pelenatita Tangi, Sisi Palu and Latu Sao out Wage for all workers employed by contractors in the campaigning public service, doubling sick leave, making Matariki a public holiday, and more. Labour’s Mount Roskill MP, Michael Wood, who is an E tū member, has been made Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety, putting him in charge of delivering many of the changes we need. Some E tū members will already know Michael Wood as a strong ally who made his commitment to our union and our priorities very clear both before and since the election. We congratulate Michael Wood, as well as the many other new and returning MPs who are E tū members and active unionists. Young activist Caroline Iki E tū members participated in a spectacular election campaign. We made more than 13,000 phone calls collectively to ensure that our members were ready and equipped to vote. We held events across the country where members met with candidates and made sure our issues were at the front of their minds.