Unionists grip downtown Invercargill

Worker dissatisfaction has hit new highs as bargaining falters for an unprecedented number of collective contracts, a long-time Invercargill unionist says.

Service and Food Workers Union organiser Barbara Anderson was among about 120 chanting and placard-waving  workers protesting wage freezes and stalled contract talks in Invercargill this afternoon.

Her union was joined by striking Southland Times journalists, school support workers, hospital support and clerical staff, cleaners, people who work with people with disabilities, and other members of the NZEI and the PSA.

The rally was part of a nation-wide “Lift the Freeze” campaign organised by the Council of Trade Unions. There were demonstrations in 26 other towns and cities.

Fair deal: A support worker protests low pay at a rally in Invercargill (Squall photo)

Most of those who gathered in the wind and rain at Invercargill’s Wachner Place were on strike.

Mrs Anderson told Southern Squall her union was embroiled in a startling number of contract talks which had spent many months going “absolutely nowhere”.

“It hasn’t been like this, not for as long as I’ve been working with the union. We’ve had wage freezes and hard talks before, but this is the first time in my memory that we’ve had so many issues at one time.”

Talks with IDEA Services (an IHC offshoot), the Southern Institute of Technology and Sanfords, and work on the multi-hospital service workers MECCA, had all stalled.

Low-wage staff were bearing the brunt of a government-led wage freeze “and when we’re talking about people who don’t ave the luxury of an MP’s perks, that’s not on”.

“People are hurting. We keep hearing politicians saying people need to tighten their belts in a recession, but why is it that those who can least afford it have to make all the concessions.”

There could be little doubt that most of the protests were, indeed, hurting. One cleaner, who asked not be named, said she felt ignored by government and her employer.

“I’m not anti the government or anything, but I just don’t understand how the suits in Wellington can expect me to accept a wage freeze when I’m on $12.94 an hour.

“I don’t want the earth, none of us do. All we want is a fair go.”

Southland Times staff are also on strike.

Sign of the Times: Protesters support striking journalists outside the Southland Times (Squall photo)

Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union organiser Trevor Hobbs said their employer, Australian-owned Fairfax, needed to “get real”.

“It’s very hard to justify a 0% increase when you’re dealing with a company that continues to make good profits. It’s about time these workers got a fair deal.”

Supported by a cacophony of tooting car horns, the rally marched from Dee St to outside the Southland Times building.

Non-union workers gazed from the windows as famously non-union chief photographer Barry Harcourt appeared to laugh at the rowdy crowd below.

Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said employers, especially the government, had to realise wage freezes were a backward step.

“It’s backward because low paid workers will spend all their salary which is good for the economy. It’s backward because we will never catch up with Australia if we can’t even increase the lowest incomes.

“It’s backward because wages elsewhere in the economy are still going up. Most of all, it’s backward because the cost of living is still going up too, so a wage freeze really amounts to a wage cut for those least able to afford it.”

Fair pay: Support staff at the wage freeze in Wachner Place (Squall photo)