>Comments: Authenticated sender is <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "vivian Hutchinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 21:48:37 +0000 >X-Distribution: Moderate >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Subject: The Jobs Letter No.66 (15 September 1997) >Reply-to: "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Priority: normal >Status: U > >to make some difficult decisions to stop a tide of welfare >dependency being passed onto the next generation. However, the >government's "code of social responsibility" as announced in the >Budget , will probably not be drawn up as proposed legislation >until early next year. > >Sowry says the new code by its very nature will be like the >fiscal responsibility legislation, and "broadly set the >guidelines we will use for the new social development and spell >out a set of responsibilities along with a set of rights we have >in society..." > >* The New Zealand Herald reports that welfare groups are >fearing that in response to the rise in beneficiary numbers, the >government may cut benefits -- the invalids benefit pays $36 a >week more than the dole -- and introduce tougher vetting of >invalids and sickness beneficiaries. > >AGE DISCRIMINATION >* The Human Rights Commission says that complaints >received on the basis of age discrimination made up 10% of the >formal complaints received last year. Brian Kirby, President of >Auckland Grey Power, says that these figures show a rising >bigotry against employing the elderly. Kirby: "Thousands of >people aged in their 50s are being put on the scrap heap by >employers who want to employ younger people at cheaper rates..." > >* In Wellington last week, a man was awarded $5,000 by the >Disputes Tribunal after the TAB refused to give him an interview >for a job. The Tribunal found that the 42-yr old man was not >given the job interview solely because of his age. > >IMMIGRATION TURN-AROUND >* The NZ government -- alarmed that the sharp fall in the >number of immigrants will hurt the economy -- is considering >changing immigration criteria in order to attract young, skilled >settlers with capital. The latest immigration figures show that >numbers are down to 15,900 from the 29,000 immigrants last year. >The government was aiming for 35,000 immigrants a year. > >Finance Minister Bill Birch told a recent Rotary Club meeting he >wants an influx of quality younger immigrants with high skills >and preferably some capital. Birch: "Migrant energies and skills >do not displace New Zealanders. They add a new dimension to the >economy which helps to underpin high levels of growth ..." > >LAURIE O'RIELLY >* The Children's Commissioner Laurie O'Reilly, who is >terminally ill, has made his last planned public appearance at >the Family Violence Symposium in Palmerston North. He used the >occasion to urge more support for the Commission's Fathers Who >Care: Partners in parenting programme. > >O'Reilly: " The most urgent thing now facing NZ is the issue of >fatherless families -- we have to address and develop a new >attitude to parenting, it is a shared responsibility. We have >been so liberal and brave and modern in meeting our own needs as >adults that we have overlooked our children -- and everyone has >an obligation to see that changed..." > >NEW BUSINESS LOBBY GROUP >* A new lobby group is being launched in order to give "an >alternative view" to the Business Roundtable. Auckland >businessman Dick Hubbard, of Hubbard Foods, is establishing >"Businesses for Social Responsibility", a group modelled after an >organisation with the same name in the United States. The new >group will have a permanent secretariat and will publish research >and reports. It will provide a forum for debate and discussion by >business and a network to share ideas and lobby government. > >Hubbard: "The Business Roundtable sees businesses as totally >focussed towards shareholder wealth. An alternative approach is >stakeholder theory, which sees business as having a range of >stakeholders, including not only shareholders but also employees, >suppliers and the wider community..." > >COMPANIES RE-THINKING CHARITY >* The Royal & SunAlliance is one of the first companies in NZ >to move towards "corporate volunteering" where businesses help >their staff carry out community work under the company's banner. >Example: employee Victoria Carpenter has recently spent a day a >week for twelve weeks working for the non-profit agency >Development Resource Centre. > >In the US, a survey of more than 450 companies has found that 90% >encouraged staff to become involved in community activities. In >Britain, a less representative study found that one in three >large companies had employee volunteering schemes. > >* The Royal & SunAlliance secondments were organised by >Wellington's Volunteer Centre. Darren Quirk, the Centre's >regional manager, has just returned from a Winston Churchill >Fellowship trip to Britain where he studied volunteer programmes >in companies such as KPMG, Whitbread and Marks and Spencer. >Quirk: "In the UK, it's not seen as fringy, it's seen as >mainstream ... Corporates can make a significant impact with >community groups, with people as well as money ..." > >The Dominion writer Anna Smith says there is a strong business as >well as community case for corporate volunteering. Smith: "Most >companies volunteer not so much as a public relations exercise, >but as a way of developing employees' skills and broadening their >experience. They also see it as a chance to build staff morale >and corporate loyalty, attract and keep better employees and >improve community relations." > >UPS STRIKE A WATERSHED FOR PART-TIME WORKERS >* Last month's strike in America by workers at the United >Parcel Service (UPS) may prove to be a turning-point for many >American employers over the issue of part-time work. After two >weeks on strike, the Teamster's Union (which represents the UPS >workers) won virtually all their demands, appearing to turn the >tide on what the Teamsters has described as "the long campaign to >casualise the American workforce..." > >Most US employers have realised in these days of "re- >engineering" and "re-structuring" that full-time employees are >expensive. They get pension rights and medical benefits, and they >get paid more. Before the strike, the full-time UPS drivers got >nearly $20 an hour. Part-timers averaged $11 an hour. > >The Teamsters rallied behind the slogan of "Part-time America >doesn't work" and found a strong current of public support. The >strike result: substantial pay rises for both part-timers and >full- timers; sub-contracting of labour will be phased out, and >10,000 part- time jobs will be turned into full-time employment. > >* Part-timers in the US make up 20% of the workforce. 80% of >them say they are choosing to work less than full-time, and they >are more concerned with benefits and status in their jobs rather >than their inability to move into full-time work. > >There have been several unsuccessful attempts to get bills >through US state legislatures in order to protect part-time >workers. The latest effort is in Massachusetts where a bill is >being proposed to ban discrimination against part-time and >temporary workers, requiring part-timers to receive benefits in >proportion to hours worked, and capping the number of part-timers >a company can employ if they receive state contracts. > >CHARITY WITHOUT GLAMOUR >Voice: "The Prince's Trust is the largest charity of its kind in >Europe and it flourishes as never before. Its work is grindingly >prosaic. It inhabits that economic underworld of grime, poverty, >unemployment, drugs, crime and broken homes _ a place where the >paparazzi never gather. That is Prince Charles's style, and some >of us actually like it ..." -- Jonathon Dimbleby. > >CHINESE TO PRIVATISE AILING STATE BUSINESSES >* Chinese President Jiang Zemin has announced at a crucial >congress of the ruling Communist Party that he will revolutionise >the ownership of public firms. Observers say he is embarking on a >strategy of privatisation for the ailing state sector, with the >consequent widespread lay-offs of state employees. > >China will be also setting up a welfare system in urban areas by >the year 2000 to help workers laid off from state enterprises >adjust to the market-style economic reforms. The plan will be >funded by local governments and apparently will not cover China's >huge "floating" population of migrant workers from rural areas >who have flooded the cities in search for jobs. > >FRENCH ACTION ON YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT >* The French Employment Minister Martine Aubry has been >given the go-ahead for measures to create 350,000 jobs in efforts >to reduce youth unemployment. The jobs, in areas such as health, >housing, education, security, culture and the environment, will >be available to people under 26 years of age, and they will be >paid the basic minimum wage. The French government will provide >80% of the funding with the rest provided by local authorities >and community associations. > >V O I C E S >------------------ > >ON THE CONTINUING WORKFARE DEBATE > >" In the `old welfare consciousness' they gave you something for >nothing. In the new welfare consciousness we give them something >for nothing ..." >-- Community Taskforce worker. > >"Mr McCardle has met widespread resistance to his plans to >extend work-for-the-dole schemes from both public servants and >the community sector. He is now slyly trying to get around this >opposition be trebling the number of unemployed people on >Community Taskforce, preparing to launch his full >work-for-the-dole scheme in 1998. > >"Community Task force is in fact slave labour. It is no different >from periodic detention, except that unemployed people forced >onto it at the risk of losing their benefit have no recourse to >judge, lawyers or jury. > >"We hope that the organisations that employ Community >Taskforce workers, such as schools and voluntary agencies will >learn to understand that unwilling, involuntary labour is not >only total exploitation of workers, but is also not good for the >employing body or the people they serve ..." >-- Sue Bradford, >Auckland Unemployed Workers Rights Centre. > >"The most important lesson from the US welfare experiment -- and >the most often missed -- is that "welfare to work" schemes soak >up a great deal of money over a long period of time before they >begin to yield savings. > >"US Congressional rhetoric is utterly deceptive on this point. >Both Democratic critics and Republican supporters tend to focus >on the cuts in spending and the harshness of the "guillotine" >that will eventually cut off benefits entirely from people who do >not work. > >"In fact the hidden truth of the experiment is that it is costing >a fortune in childcare, training and other subsidies: between >$10-13m in federal and state money for at least the next 5-6 >years..." >-- Bronwyn Maddox, correspondent for The Times. > >" The Treasurer and the government have yet to flesh out the >"code of social responsibility" that Winston Peters proposed in >the Budget. The fear is that Employment Minister Peter McCardle's >well- intentioned but ill-conceived work-for-the-dole scheme is >symptomatic of the approach to be taken. [...] > >Mr McCardle is the only government politician to have shown any >sign of moving from declarations of intent to the practical. >However, his work-for-the-dole proposals have many hurdles to >clear before they can be considered viable. > >The difficulties come when politicians have to move from >bumper-slogan bombast to the hard realities. The bill in the >United States for "welfare to work" schemes so far is $10-13 >billion a year, and the results have been spotty. > >Those who wish to change the welfare mentality and imbue the >community with a sense of social responsibility should note the >other lessons from the United States : there are no quick fixes >and no cheap answers..." >-- editorial in The Dominion 28 August 1997 > >C R E D I T S >------------------- >Editor -- Vivian Hutchinson >Associates -- Ian Ritchie, Dave Owens and Jo Howard > >ISSN No. 1172-6695 > >S U B S C R I P T I O N S >---------------------------------- > >The regular (4-6 page, posted) Jobs Letter costs >$NZ112.50 incl GST for 30 letters. >This subscription also includes a free email version >on request. > >The email-only version costs >$NZ56.25 incl GST annually (22 letters) >and usually has an expanded Diary section. >All email editions of the Jobs Letter >are posted to subscribers >on a "not to be forwarded" basis. > >We also maintain an internet website with >our back issues and key papers, >and hotlinks to other internet resources. >This can be visited at > > http://www.jobsletter.org.nz/ > >Our website resources are available freely to anyone >with access to the internet. >The most recent three months of Jobs Letter issues, >however, will only be available to subscribers. > > >An e-mail version of this letter is available to international >friends and colleagues on an "exchange of information" basis and >on the understanding that the Letter is not re-posted to New >Zealand... this is because we need the paid subscriptions from >our New Zealand colleagues in order to pay our way. Thanks. > >Subscription Enquiries -- >Jobs Research Trust, P.O.Box 428, >New Plymouth, New Zealand >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > M I S C E L L A N E O U S >-------------------------- > >This is a subscriber-based publication -- >... which is how we pay our bills and keep going. > >If you are receiving this letter on a regular basis >please subscribe. > >A Word on Spreading the Word -- > >We'd like you to let others know about the Jobs Letter >and the work of the Jobs Research Trust. >A personal note to friends and colleagues is the best. > >If you decide to post this entire Letter to a mailing list, >newsgroup, message forum, computer conference etc., please >reference it as a personal recommendation. And thanks for your >help with networking! > >An e-mail version of this letter is available to international >friends and colleagues on an "exchange of information" basis >and on the understanding that the Letter is not re-posted to >New Zealand... this is because we need the paid subscriptions >from our New Zealand colleagues in order to pay our way. >Thanks. > > > >ends >------ > > > > > > > > >The Jobs Letter >essential information on an essential issue >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >P.O.Box 428 >New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand > >visit The Jobs Research Website at >http://www.jobsletter.org.nz/ >
