>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 > >T H E J O B S L E T T E R 0 6 6 >------------------------------------- >a subscriber-based letter >published in New Zealand 15 September 1997 > >edited by Vivian Hutchinson for the Jobs Research Trust >P.O.Box 428, New Plymouth, New Zealand >phone 06-753-4434 fax 06-759-4648 >Internet address -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >I N T H I S I S S U E >----------------------------- >CTU MAORI JOBS REPORT >COMMUNITY TASKFORCE >ONE IN THREE ON BENEFITS >CODE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY >COMPANIES RE-THINKING CHARITY >NEW BUSINESS LOBBY GROUP >UPS STRIKE AND PART-TIME WORK > >T H E J O B S L E T T E R >an essential information and media watch >on jobs, employment, unemployment, the future of work, >and related economic and education issues. > >Kia taea ai te tangata te whiwhi mahi >ahakoa ki whea, ahakoa ko wai. >Our objective is that every New Zealander will have the >opportunity to be in paid work. > >The Jobs Research Trust -- a not-for-profit Charitable Trust >constituted in 1994 to develop and distribute information that >will help our communities create more jobs and reduce >unemployment and poverty in New Zealand. > >D I A R Y - THE STATE OF JOBS IN NEW ZEALAND >---------------------------------------------- > >20 August 1997 >The American UPS parcel-workers strike has been settled, with the >Teamsters Union gaining many benefits for part-time workers. The >US labour secretary Alexis Herman hails the UPS settlement as "a >model for the workplace of the 21st century in the way it invests >in both full-time and part-time workers ..." > >24 August 1997 >Salaries and wages rose 2.5% in the June year compared to last >year, according to the latest Labour cost index produced by >Statistics NZ. > >25 August 1997 >The Anglican Diocese of Dunedin calls for the government to >continue to support tax-payer- funded welfare, and to desist from >political and promotional efforts to make "dependency" >undesirable. > >The Lottery grants board has decided to cut its funding for >special-needs equipment for disabled people, saying it has found >itself providing essential equipment that other government >agencies should take responsibility for. > >26 August 1997 >The Dargaville clothing manufacturer Calman Manufacturing is to >close, with the loss of 37 jobs. It says it can no longer compete >with cheap imports from Asia and Fiji. Two Whangarei clothing >companies -- Linstrom Clothing and Dione Manufacturing -- have >also closed recently, blaming lower import tariffs. > >27 August 1997 >Tasman Milk Products subsidiary Silverhorn has formed a joint >venture with a US firm that could take it's health products into >the US. The deal will hopefully save the 70 jobs at their >Brightwater factory, which was threatened with closure. > >Forty activists mount a protest outside the Christchurch >Convention Centre to protest the public display of the America's >Cup. The cup is becoming a focus for protests against "corporate >control of NZ". The coalition of community groups at the protest >call themselves Cup-Crap -- the Campaign of United People against >Corporates Ripping off Aotearoa's Public. > >28 August 1997 >300 Porirua vehicle assembly workers from Mitsubitshi Motors stop >work to march on parliament in protest against the Motor Industry >tariff review which will lead to widespread job losses in the >sector. > >The latest National Bank survey of business opinion shows that >business confidence is rebounding. > >31 August 1997 >Housing NZ has achieved a $111 million profit, despite a rent >freeze and a reduction in the state housing pool. > >1 September 1997 >A Business Herald poll shows that business leaders want more >structural reform of the economy and the resumption of >state-owned asset sales. > >5 September 1997 >A report commissioned by the Maori development ministry Te >Puni Kokiri reveals that property and business interests, >including housing, farms, forestry and fisheries controlled by >Maori, is now worth $10.6 billion. The report also says that >there is widespread feeling that these assets are not being used >to the greatest benefit of Maori, and that Maori business skills >and administrative structures are not up to scratch. > >A snap review of staff at Clear Communications has resulted in >the loss of between 30-40 jobs in the corporate support >functions. > >6 September 1997 >Mother Teresa of Calcutta 1910_1997. Tireless worker for the poor >in India and around the world, founder of the Missionaries of the >Poor, and Nobel laureate. > >7 September 1997 >The NZ tourism industry is bracing itself for its worst financial >year since 1992, after a dramatic drop in visitor numbers. > >With the takeover of the Egmont Electricity company by >Powerco, 38 workers are made redundant. > >While the number of primary school teachers has risen by 2,000 in >the last seven years, the number of male teachers has dropped by >335. Men now make up only 20% of primary school teachers. > >9 September 1997 >An international survey of employees and managers in Canada, USA, >Australia and NZ has found that women make better bosses than >men, because they work harder and their feminine approach is >better suited to the modern team-based office. > >The number of job advertisements nationally is down 5.7% >compared to August last year. Auckland, Christchurch and >Wellington have all shown falls in the number of job >advertisements. > >10 September 1997 >The number of people on benefits has risen by 4% in the last >year. > >An Australian opinion poll shows that three out of four >Australians would rather pay more for their clothes than see >tariff protections cut for the textiles, clothing and footwear >sector. The sector is facing predictions of thousands of job >losses after the tariff cuts. > >11 September 1997 >Labour's social welfare spokesman Steve Maharey calls the >increase of numbers of people on benefits a "National Party >disaster". Maharey: "All they have is a plan to shut the door on >people who currently meet the already stringent criteria for >benefits..." > >Social Welfare Minister Roger Sowry says that Income Support is >helping people move from welfare to work, and this is helping >stem the rise in beneficiaries. He is particularly concerned >about the high rate of growth in people receiving the invalids >benefit and says the Department is studying this trend. > >I T E M S -- ESSENTIAL Information on an ESSENTIAL issue >-------------------------------------------------- > >MAORI "REVOLVING DOOR" OF TEMPORARY JOBS >* A new report out by the Council of Trade Unions says that >many Maori workers are being forced through a "revolving door" of >temporary jobs and endless training schemes. The report, >Stability and Opportunity, looks at the equality of employment >opportunities for Maori workers. It concludes that the >"foot-in-the-door" opportunities promoted through low minimum >wages and restricted access to welfare benefits ... can lead to a >"revolving door" which is likely to perpetuate cycles of >short-term, low-paid work, followed by periods of unemployment. >Says CTU president Ken Douglas: "I think one of the big questions >NZ has to ask is whether any job is better than none..." > >* The CTU report shows that Maori workers are more >concentrated in low-skill, low-paid jobs than non-Maori. And they >are more likely to encounter higher unemployment rates, lower >earnings and more "volatility in employment". The report also >says that unemployed Maori are more likely to have left their >last job because it was temporary. > >The CTU points to the Employment Contracts Act as one of the main >culprits -- changes to the industrial legislation have made it >easier to engage workers on temporary, casual or a short-term >basis. CTU recommendation: the number of temporary workers should >be kept to a minimum in order to keep employment "moderately >stable" and to allow all sections of the workforce to have the >opportunity to acquire more skills. > >TIMBERLANDS LOBBIES FOR TREES AND JOBS >* The State-owned Timberlands West Coast estimates that >2,500 jobs could be created from processing native beech if >officials allow the trees to be harvested. They want to fell an >average of one beech tree for every hectare of its native forests >each year. In a proposal, to be presented to SOE Minister Jenny >Shipley later this year, Timberlands says it will use helicopters >to remove individual trees. It also contends that the beech >logging will be sustainable ... something disputed by many >environmentalists who want a halt to all logging of native trees >in state forests. > >COMMUNITY TASKFORCE >* Is the re-vamped Community Taskforce programme >becoming a de-facto work-for-the-dole scheme? The NZ Employment >Service is pushing the Community Taskforce in order to get >numbers up to as many as 10,000 people involved, and this is seen >as a first step towards the introduction of a work-for-the-dole >scheme next year, as part of the coalition agreement. > >Alliance employment spokesman Rod Donald believes that this first >step may in fact be all the coalition government needs to make >in order to achieve a "work-for-the dole programme on the >cheap". He believes that Employment Minister Peter McCardle is >facing hurdles in bringing together his community wage and >workfare proposals -- proposals that will require co-operation >between Ministers over a number of portfolios like Social Welfare >and Education, and involves traversing the sort of policy >co-ordination and "patch protection" that is not being easily >being worked through in the current coalition government climate. > > >Donald says that instead of spending money on engaging >Saatchi and Saatchi on a "feel good" advertising campaign, the >Minister would be better off providing unemployed people and >existing and potential sponsoring organisations with real >incentives and support to make the existing voluntary scheme work >better. Donald: "Instead, the Minister has turned his whole >employment strategy into a propaganda exercise designed to make >the unemployed feel bad if they don't work three days a week for >nothing, and under-resourced community groups feel bad if they >don't take on extra workers..." > >* The only thing stopping Community Taskforce from being a >fully-fledged work-for-the-dole scheme is the issue of >"compulsion". Rod Donald has released documents obtained under >the Official Information Act which make it clear that legislation >already exists to enable the government to direct its "clients" >onto the Community Taskforce scheme. > >* Such a "compulsory" direction seems certain to backfire >amongst the community organisations which are sponsoring the >Community Taskforce placements. Many community groups are happy >to participate on the scheme while it is a voluntary option and >while the unemployed are genuinely keen to do their community >work. But being sent unemployed workers who don't want to be >there raises all sorts of questions of levels of supervision, >increased costs from damages and carelessness, and also general >client safety. > >* There is also a question of whether the existing community >sponsors are being asked to participate on the scheme under false >pretences, if indeed the scheme will later be converted into a >"compulsory" option. TV1 News last week interviewed employer >Peter Kohing who is part of the government-sponsored campaign to >increase community participation in the scheme. Kohing: " I >wouldn't like to see unemployed people being forced onto this >scheme ... " One of his unemployed volunteers, Gina Williams, >also has doubts about the government's intentions: "You just feel >depressed if you are forced to work somewhere and it is all >beyond your control ... it is slave labour if you are being >forced to do it." > >* The "compulsory" direction also seems certain to also >backfire amongst employers and the business community who are >involved in the present Community Taskforce scheme, and will play >a big part in the future Community Wage proposals. Rod Donald has >also released details of a recent Colmar Brunton poll undertaken >by the NZ Employment Service. It asked employers and Community >Taskforce participants about the existing programme, and what >they thought of the new scheme if it became compulsory. > >According to this research, employers identified that, under a >compulsory option, participants would not care about the >projects, have a bad attitude and not put their best into it. >Also, the research shows that both employer and participant >satisfaction is a key element in ensuring the placement of job >seekers into the programme. > >Donald: "Without the support from employers the >government's work-for-the-dole scheme is doomed to failure. This >research shows that employers do not want to be jailers for the >government's slave labour scheme. No employer wants to have to >supervise unwilling, unpaid employees in their businesses. " > >ONE IN THREE ON BENEFITS >* A review of benefit trends issued by Social Welfare shows >that the number of people receiving benefits, not counting >superannuation, has increased by 4% in the last year to reach >367,000 people. > >* Nearly one NZ'er in six of working age is reliant on social >welfare for their income. When pensioners are added to the total, >nearly one in three NZ adults receive weekly welfare payments. > >* The largest increase in the last year has been in Invalids >Benefits (which is up 8.6%). Other increases were in the >Unemployment Benefit (up 4.8%), Domestic Purposes Benefit ((up >3.3%) and the Sickness Benefit (up 3%). The only benefit to >reduce was the Independent Youth Allowance (down 10.2%). > >* 5% of unemployment beneficiaries and 26% of DPB >beneficiaries have been on a benefit for more than 5 years. > >* Spending on the DPB will reach $1.53 billion this financial >year, (a figure which does not take into account the offsetting >effect of child support payments made by non-custodial parents). > >* The numbers of people on various benefits at the end of June >97: >Domestic Purposes Benefit : 112,395 >Unemployment Benefit : 137,854 >Invalids Benefit : 46,099 >Sickness Benefit : 34,371 >Independent Youth Allowance : 2,554 > >CODE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY >* Social Welfare Minister Roger Sowry says the government has >
