>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: Thu, 2 Oct 1997 09:41:22 +0000 >X-Distribution: Moderate >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Subject: The Jobs Letter No.67 (1st October 1997) >Reply-to: "The Jobs Letter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Priority: normal > >* Max Kerr, ETSA general manager, says that Te Ararau had not >been checked with the Human Rights Commission, but he was sure it >was on safe ground. He says the scheme was necessary because >Maori were not equally represented in industry training, and >extra efforts were needed to help them get this training. > >TREASURY RECOMMENDS BENEFIT CUTS >* Treasury has proposed slashing welfare benefits by >$40/week if beneficiaries fail to measure up to set standards of >parenting as part of the government's planned code of social >responsibility. A leaked Treasury paper Well Baby, Well Child >suggests that money cut from a parent's benefit go to an official >responsible for spending the money on behalf of the government. >The paper suggests that beneficiaries lose another $30 if they >failed to take action when their child had unexplained absences >from school. The money would go to the school to spend on getting >the child to class. Those beneficiaries who repeatedly failed >the test could lose their benefits altogether. > >The Code of Social Responsibility was an idea signalled in the >Budget by Winston Peters, and is part of NZ First policies. Mr >Peters has indicated that the Code could include benefit cuts. > >Social Welfare Minister Roger Sowry denies that the benefit- >cutting plans in the Treasury paper are being taken seriously by >cabinet in its process of drawing of the Code. Sowry: "This is >not a benefit-cutting exercise ... I want to make it clear that >the Code will cover all NZ'ers. It won't be targeted at one >particular group in society..." > >V O I C E S >------------------ >ON LEAKED TREASURY PROPOSALS FOR BENEFIT CUTS >AS PART OF A CODE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY > >"What we are talking about is a code of social responsibility -- >a form of contract between a welfare recipient and the state. In >the future we hope to provide beneficiaries with a plan that >details what the government expects of them in exchange for the >help they receive from taxpayers ..." -- Social Welfare Minister >Roger Sowry > >"Suddenly a select group of government members, in league >with a bunch of Treasury officials, have decided that they hold >the key to perfect parenting. They're going to tell the rest of >the country how to be proper mothers and fathers. > >"This will have a negative impact on the children. They are the >ones who will pay for their parents failure to meet someone >else's idea of perfect ..." -- Maori Council chairman Sir Graham >Latimer, concerned that the Code could endanger the human rights >of all NZ'ers. > >"Docking $30 off a benefit from parents who do not try to get >their truant kids back to school is a nonsense idea. And giving >that $30 to the school to pay the costs of getting a child back >to school is even greater nonsense ..." -- Educational Institute >national president Bill Noble > >"By the time you've had people to assess that the benefit should >be docked, and then you give it to whichever agency is going to >spend it on the child, and then they review the parents' >performance, you've spent a whole lot more money and welfare >resources, and probably not solved the problem..." -- Labour's >Social Welfare spokesman Steve Maharey > >"If you've got an alcoholic mother and you dock $40 from her >benefit and spend it directly on the child, then that's all >you've done. There's nothing there that addresses the alcoholism >or any other of the problems that family has that is causing the >child's neglect..." -- Child researcher David Fergusson > >"It must be acknowledged that it's not just beneficiaries who >need encouragement to be responsible parents. Rather than >limiting a code of social responsibility to punitive measures, it >should also include parenting education and support..." -- NZ >First Youth Affairs Minister Deborah Morris > >FORECASTS : 100,000 MORE JOBS >* The Reserve Bank and NZIER have both predicted strong >forecasts for job growth in NZ into the year 2000, giving heart >to the government's central employment strategy of providing >"real jobs" through stronger economic growth. Both agencies >project accelerating job growth, with the Reserve Bank >forecasting an employment increase of 96,000 and the Institute of >Economic Research predicting an even greater increase of 102,000 >over the period to the year 2000. > >MORGAN AND BANKS JOB INDEX >* The Morgan and Banks job index shows a slight drop in >optimism for employment in the coming quarter, Nationally, 16.2% >of the 1000 organisations surveyed intend to increase total staff >in the next three months, compared with 17.9% for the previous >quarter. Information technology positions continue to be the main >staff shortages, followed by sales positions. Job losses are >expected for those in human resources and manufacturing blue >collar jobs. > >EMPLOYMENT AGENCY OFFERING WANGANUI >COMPUTER `BAIT' >* An Auckland company Hire-Rite has been touting for >business to act as employer's agents in checking on the criminal >records of jobs seekers. Hire-Rite promises to check prospective >employee's criminal records and verify their identification on >the Wanganui computer, as well as vet references, previous >employment and provide a full credit history. Employers must >provide the company with a request form signed by the job >applicant authorising the release of personal information. > >The Auckland District Law Society is questioning the practice and >warns employers that they could be on shaky legal grounds. The >Society's employment spokesman, Phil Ahern, says that under >privacy legislation, personal information must not be collected >by unfair means and must be relevant to the job being sought. >Because employers could threaten applicants by withholding a job >if they did not sign the release form, it could be argued that >consent was being gained under duress. > >CONFERENCES >* The Peace Foundation was to have Professor Noam >Chomsky as its guest speaker at the 1997 Media Peace Awards, but >unfortunately he is unable to attend this year. His place has >been taken by Scott Burchill, an Australian lecturer from >Victoria's Deakin University, who has collaborated with Professor >Chomsky on several projects. Burchill's lecture will be entitled >"Selling neo-liberalism: The media, free trade, and class warfare >after the cold war", and will be presented at Auckland University >on 23rd October (8pm). Contact the Peace Foundation 09 373 2379 >or [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >* "Work, Families and the State: Problems and Possibilities >for the 21st Century" is a conference to be held November 28-30 >1997 at Massey University's Hokowhitu Campus in Palmerston North. >It will examine the changing relationship between paid and unpaid >workers and government. Cost: (includes food but not >accommodation) $65 waged and $25 unwaged. Free programme >available for the children of participants. Further details from >Hannah Nash, Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University, >Private Bag 11222 Palmerston North, or email >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >ROBERT THEOBALD >* US-based economist Robert Theobald is presently touring >Australia with talks on "The Future of Work". If the response to >his Sunday night lectures on ABC Radio National is anything to go >by, people are beginning to listen to his ideas which challenge >traditional notions of success. The Sydney Morning Herald says >that responses to his talks have been "extraordinary" and the ABC >radio network says it has been swamped with requests for >transcripts of his radio series. > >Theobald believes the world has moved out of the industrial era >into "a new set of social, political and economic realities for >which we are ill-prepared" Theobald: "There is a growing interest >in the issues of work, jobs, resources, purpose and prestige -- >and the developing understanding that we need profoundly new >patterns of thinking in this area. I want to make people aware >that they must start to live the questions rather than the >answers, and that the language in which we talk must be personal >and not technical ..." > >When it comes to employment issues, Theobald says we are >hypnotised by the wrong issue: "...that jobs are the answer, that >there will always be enough jobs, that we have to create enough >demand for enough jobs. We have wrapped everything into our >jobs..." Theobald says there is "no earthly reason why we should >not imagine a culture in which most people enjoy what they are >doing most of the time". > >* One of Theobald's recommendations on tackling >unemployment is to help couples who want one person to stay home >understand the financial gain and losses from both of them going >out to work. He says he has found it almost impossible to >persuade any agency to take on this task of looking at the data >and adopting a neutral stance on the question of dual-income >families. > >Theobald: "I think we have a whole group of women who are >now so committed to the idea that women should have the right to >be in the labour force that we have forgotten that women or men >also have got the right to raise a family..." > >* Theobald's ideas are summarised from his latest book >"Reworking Success", published by New Society Publishers. >Transcripts of the Theobald ABC radio talks are available on the >internet: http://www.abc.net.au/rn > >AUSSI BANK GOVERNOR CHALLENGES JOBS RECORD >* Australia's Reserve Bank governor Ian Macfarlane says that >his country's main challenge today is not interest rates or the >strength of the dollar, but its high unemployment. He says >Australia's anti-unemployment record was poor compared to the US, >Japan and Britain. Mcfarlane: "While Australia has good results >on growth, our results on unemployment could only be described as >average by world standards. We have not been good at providing >jobs for low-skilled people and those with little experience..." > >Macfarlane told a conference of Japanese fund managers that a >long economic expansion would help unemployment, as should >"micro-economic reforms". He left open the likelihood of further >interest cuts, saying monetary policy "had to make a >contribution" towards having sustainable growth. > >BROWN TO CUT BOTTOM TAX RATE >* UK Chancellor Gordon Brown is planning to cut the bottom >British tax rate to 10% as part of his plan for a fairer tax >system. Brown told David Frost of the BBC that he wanted to >encourage people in work to do better, and to help the low-paid. >Brown: "This measure will be about job creation and about being >fair. I want to encourage the unemployed to get back to work so >they can see that, if they earn perhaps lower wages than they >might have expected, then they get to keep 90%" > >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/ >
