[PEN-L:1574] Re: Unions win against RTZ/CRA

[Ellen Dannin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]

On Fri, 24 Nov 1995, Peter Colley wrote:
* * *
 
> 2.  It is often the case that some unions have left themselves vulnerable
> to attack through doggedly resisting all work place change.  I am not
> saying this is/was necessarily the case at Tiwai.  

Actually it probably was not.  The Tiwai Point disaster occurred in 
1991.  From about 1987, the main union, the Engineering Union, had been 
active in promoting a change to awards or other agreemetns which promoted 
industrial and workplace change. When they look around for causes they 
point to the issue of management's determination to deunionise and make 
use of the deregulated environment offered by the ECA's move to market 
based "collective" bargaining. They also blame themselves for failing to 
serve and connect with the members at Tiwai.  Neglecting the membership 
left them very vulnerable.

They were also helped by the economy which had unemployment in the low 
teens at this time, particularly bad in the region around Tiwai, with 
some notable companies not far away having gone under adding to workers' 
fears.

ellen dannin