Waitemata Branch of Unite Union

Feed the Kids Paula! Stop the Hypocrisy!

2012-01-26T03:25:00.001-08:00

Paula Bennett is trying to whip up support for the Government's "Greed Paper" which proposes harsh surveillance measures of people's lives , ostensibly to stop child abuse. This is presented as caring :but in reality the the deliberate impoverishment of more than a quarter of our children shows a complete lack of empathy towards our poorest children. Poverty and discrimination are the primary causes of domestic violence and child abuse (see article below). These policies constitute state violence towards children and their families. The Green Paper proposals are anything but caring-they are punitive and controlling whilst failing to meet people's basic needs. In Northland, a Maori community organisation was recently forbidden by CYF from providing free lunches for hungry children. This shows what the Government's real priorities are.

http://thestandard.org.nz/national-values/

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10780696

Today members of Unite Waitemata went to one of Paula Bennett's "roadshows" with our banners and placards; to show her and all the social workers and professionals who were going inside to watch the government's videos whilst waiting for Paula to arrive- that we will not take this hypocrisy and discrimination any longer!

Maori child abuse linked to poverty and discrimination

2012-01-26T03:20:00.000-08:00

By Simon Collins

5:30 AM Thursday Jan 26, 2012

EXPAND

Dr Fiona Cram says indigenous children are over-represented in child welfare systems. Photo / Steven McNicholl

A Maori health researcher says reducing Maori child abuse will require tackling poverty and racial discrimination.

Dr Fiona Cram, in a report published today by the Families Commission, says family poverty is "the major contributing risk factor for children" - and Maori children are twice as likely as European children to live in poverty.

Families Commission chairman Carl Davidson said Dr Cram had "a particular perspective on Maori children in care" which the commission did not necessarily share.

But a companion report by commission staff, published with Dr Cram's report, also recommends "a more comprehensive approach" to families that have mistreated their children, including help with mental health and addiction problems and "systemic issues" such as poverty and discrimination.

The two reports show that 52 per cent of all New Zealand children who have been taken into state care from abusive or neglectful parents are Maori, compared with only 22 per cent of the population under age 20.

In contrast, only 39 per cent of those in care are European, compared with 71 per cent of the under-20 population. Pacific children make up 11 per cent of the young population but only 6 per cent of those in state care.

Dr Cram said other countries that had been colonised by immigrant groups showed similar patterns.

"Around the world, indigenous children are over-represented in child welfare systems for many reasons: systemic racism, the application of white, middle-class standards and values to [indigenous] communities, and inter-generational fragmentation of the family and community structure," she said, quoting an Australian study.

"The high proportion of these children whose families live in deprivation suggests that this over-representation can be substantially accounted for by structural risk factors such as poor housing and poverty."

In New Zealand, the Social Development Ministry says one-third of Maori children and a quarter of Pacific children, but only one-sixth of European children, lived in homes with incomes below 60 per cent of the median after adjusting for housing costs between 2007 and 2010. It says the main factor pushing up the Maori figure was a high number of sole parents. Almost half (43 per cent) of sole parents on the domestic purposes benefit in the period were Maori.

Dr Cram, who comes from the East Coast iwi of Ngati Pahauwera, found that 54 per cent of Maori, but only 24 per cent of non-Maori, lived in the most deprived 30 per cent of areas in the country at the 2006 Census. She said Otago University research showed that this was partly due to ethnic discrimination.

"If you take a cohort of Maori and a cohort of non-Maori who are the same in age, gender and education levels, the Maori will end up in lower-status jobs," she said. "Structurally, it's discrimination. You could say personally, in terms of whanau, it's because the knowledge of how to move through education into employment is not as embedded in whanau."

She is evaluating a programme run by Auckland tertiary institutions, Maori Into Tertiary Education (MITE), which helps Maori students to get from school into tertiary education and then into internships in Auckland companies.

Her report praises other programmes working from a Maori value base and she believes the new Whanau Ora policy, which aims to give Maori agencies more flexibility to help families with all areas of their lives, also offers hope.

"But it shouldn't let mainstream providers off the hook," she said. "There are still big challenges for government agencies in becoming more responsive to Maori and to working with whanau."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/article.cfm?a_id=135&objectid=10781130&ref=imthis

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President's Report 2011

2011-10-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

President's Report for Unite Waitemata Annual General Meeting 16 October 2011

2011 has seen increased attacks upon beneficiaries, and increased mobilisation in favour of beneficiaries’ rights, both in Aotearoa and internationally. So while we have more friends, we also have more enemies; and as yet no further commitment from our own union to actively recruit or organise beneficiaries –except for the work of this branch- even though this is one of the purposes of Unite as set out in the Unite Constitution . Our contact details are not on the Unite website www.unite.org.nz and it does not have a link to our blog: http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com

Our blog has gone from strength to strength, and is well worth reading, with excellent articles, news items, photos and useful links.

Our Facebook Group: Waitemata Unite has also become a place of lively discussion and information.

Here are the relevant clauses from the Unite Constitution 2009:

2. Purposes
2.1. Unite is a community based union formed:
a) to protect and further the interests of members and working people as a whole by carrying out
any policy decided in accordance with these Rules.
b) to recruit and organise workers, including marginal labour, unemployed and beneficiaries.
http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com/2010/11/unite-constitutional-changes-2009.html

See also the original Unite Constitution 1998:

http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com/2010/11/unite-original-constitution-1998.html

Unite was formed during the 1990’s in a time of high unemployment and during the time that National brought in work for the dole. Although we don’t officially have work for the dole now, work is becoming increasingly transient, if people can get work at all, and wages are so low that people need numerous top ups from WINZ to make ends meet.

2010: Social Security Amendment Act and Ninety Day Act: Insecure Work and Benefits

Legislation such as the 90 Day Act, passed around the 26 th November, 2010, increases the likelihood that employment periods will be short and interspersed with unemployment. Many people on community work schemes do de facto work for the dole programs, including, as we found out this year, people in sheltered workshops who have no legal right to a minimum wage. Amendments to the Social Security Act in September 2010 meant that nearly all beneficiaries including the sick and parents with family responsibilities are now expected to be available for work, and subjected to punitive sanctions if they fail work tests. The legislation came after WINZ had already removed as many people as possible off the invalids benefit, which may soon be the only refuge left from compulsory work testing. WINZ also now increasingly employs designated doctors and “regional health advisors” to make decisions about people’s work capacities and benefit entitlements.

August to December 2010 : Welfare Working Group and Community Fight back

In August 2010 the Welfare Working Group, headed by ex Chamber of Commerce member, Paula Rebstock issued its preliminary report or “Issues” paper. Its extremely antagonistic view towards anyone getting state support, its brief not to consider whether benefit levels were liveable, and its ‘relentless work focus” is echoed in WINZ culture and in the September 2010 legislation, although the stance taken by this razor gang is a lot more extreme than what the Government has so far implemented. The Rebstock Razor gang has helped to create a polarised climate where rednecks such as Michael Laws and lately Don Brash are coming out in force, and on the other hand many people are defending or sympathising with beneficiaries including mainstream journalists such as Tapu Misa, Simon Collins and Gordon Campbell, and groups such as the Alternative Welfare Working Group, AAAP, and CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) and of course, ourselves. We are the only group that is union based and consistently calls for a united fight back of workers and beneficiaries .

The Welfare Working Group put out its “Options Paper” on 26 th November 2010.

The Alternative Welfare Working group put out its own report in late November and in December called for all benefits to be increased by 50%.

November 2010: Unite National Conference

In late November some of us attended the Unite National Conference and AGM. Keith was our official delegate. We presented two remits to the conference, one asking for a reduction in fees for beneficiaries back to $1.00 per week, and the other asking for a beneficiary representative on the National Executive. Both these remits were defeated, however there was a small element of support for each motion, although from different sections of the conference for each motion. The worst experience for me after speaking in favour of one of these motions, was to hear a young Unite organiser, stand up and publicly admonish us for coming each year to national conferences and having something to say. This was followed by some strong support from some Maori female delegates (security guards), who agreed with me that many people who currently have jobs, including delegates at the conference, could well lose them in the coming years.

The Unite National Conference was followed by an Activists Conference, also organised by Unite, in which we led a workshop entitled “stopping beneficiary bashing”.

December 2010, Joint Protest with Auckland Action Against Poverty on International Disability Day

The formation of the new group Auckland Action Against Poverty gives us the possibility of another group with whom to organise or attend protest actions about benefits. We jointly organised a picket outside WINZ, Henderson, on December 3, 2010, International Disability Day. I made a number of placards for this picket which we are still using. Waitemata Unite also had its own leaflet which we handed out to beneficiaries during and after the protest, which met with a lot of agreement. We signed up some new members. I wrote a report of this protest for Indymedia which was well received and generated a lot of discussion.

January 2011: Child Poverty Condemned, Auckland Solidarity Victory in 90 Days Practice.

In January 2011, following a complaint from the CPAG, the United Nations wrote a damning report about child poverty in New Zealand where 20% of children live in poverty. The government picked up the family violence aspect of this only and promised more surveillance. The first of the Arab Spring protests began in Tunisia, after an unemployed man set fire to himself, and our Secretary wrote a letter of solidarity with the Tunisian people.

Michael Laws wrote a column calling for “ferals” to be stopped from “breeding.

In January WINZ was giving advice that people sacked under 90 day legislation would have a benefit stand down for 91 days. This illegal policy seems to have been reversed in later months but we must be vigilant against any case officer trying to implement it.

Also in January representatives from Waitemata Unite joined a group of rank and file unionists, “Auckland Solidarity”, which helped to organise a protest against a fast food outlet that was using the 90 day law. One protest was enough to frighten the employer into changing his policy and many other employers have followed suit. Auckland Solidarity later went into recess-for want of a fight?

February 2011: Protest Final Report of Welfare Working Group

On February 22^nd, 2011, the day of the Christchurch earthquake, we joined with AAAP to protest the release of the final report and recommendations of the Welfare Working Group. Its pernicious recommendations include work testing the sick and disabled, mothers with young babies as young as six weeks, and mothers with newborns who have a second child while on a benefit, contraceptive injections , compulsory medication and drug testing beneficiaries. We gathered outside Henderson WINZ and marched to protest outside Paula Bennett’s office. We were met with a strong police presence and some police brutality, especially towards a mother with a baby in her arms. There were some arrests, but no charges were laid. Both the WWG report and the protest were somewhat lost amongst the concerns about the Christchurch earthquake but it was reported on Maori television. I spoke at this rally about National being an anti-woman, anti-mother and anti-child government.

March and April: Recruiting Members and Challenging Bennett

Around March and April several of us attended a public meeting at Paula Bennett’s office advertised as “Are we Safe on our Streets?” Many community representatives were there to complain about lack of funding for their groups eg women’s refuges, self defence groups. These groups may have been there through being informed by myself of this meeting.

Also around this time Dave Bedggood and myself updated the original recruitment leaflet which I wrote last year entitled “Why you should join Unite” to include the changes brought about by the September legislation and the implications of the Welfare Working Group recommendations.

Our members have handed out these recruitment leaflets to people at WINZ offices throughout the year, and they have been well received. We have had a number of new visitors to our branch meetings, and some new members. Branches we have been to include New Lynn, Henderson, and Glen Eden.

On 30^th April the Mana Party was launched at its first hui in Pt Chevalier.

May Day and Budget Protests

1^st May, We joined May Day protest, with our banner and placards at the front of the march up Queen St, organised by newly formed Social Justice Coalition

We joined Street theatre on Budget Day, 20^th May, against the Budget, at the Sky Tower outside the National Party Conference to present the budget. Entitled Race to the Bottom, it was organised by AAAP, also with women from the Auckland Women’s Centre

On the 28^th May we joined 400 protesters marching up Queen St protesting the budget. The march was organised by the Social Justice Coalition and entitled “Don’t Cut our Future.”

On 31^st May, 8 cabinet ministers including Paula Bennett and Anne Tolley were appointed to a committee to consider the implementation of the WWG recommendations.

June: “ Beneficiaries Labelled Mentally Ill”

I wrote an article, “Beneficiaries Labelled Mentally Ill “, about the co-option of health professionals, the perception of not having a job as being a mental illness, and the corrupt practice of employing designated doctors and Regional Health Advisors to overturn decisions of the beneficiary’s own doctor or health professional. This was published in our blog http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com and in Class Struggle.

July: Pickets , Forum, Cold and Hunger

Janet Grossman, UK welfare slasher was appointed head of WINZ

On Friday 22 July, we attended the AAAP picket of Iain Duncan Smith, UK Conservative minister and welfare adviser outside a hotel in town, where he addressed Maxim institute.

On Monday 24 July in the freezing cold our branch picketed and attended a Paula Bennett public meeting on health where she actually said –let the poor “ eat weet-bix. “ Keith wrote the publicity leaflets for this picket and for our forum.

On the 31^st July we held a forum entitled Defend our benefits wages and services.

We had an interesting discussion but were disappointed not to have more attendance from our new beneficiary members and their friends.

News items appeared about children’s hunger, and about the ending of a Red Cross programme in schools. The CPAG released a report about 20 years widening inequality and children’s poverty and hunger.

Fonterra was in news for sky rocking milk prices despite huge profits.

August : Our Clinic at The Hub , Peer Advocacy and Benefit Fact File.

In August we started a fortnightly clinic on Wednesday mornings at the Hub, at the Ranui Caravan Park, in Swanson Rd. The Hub is funded by the Auckland Council and is a space for community groups and residents. We hope to recruit members and help members with benefit and housing issues.

We attended a forum organised by the PSA aimed at bringing unions and community groups together.

On behalf of our branch, I organised a three day advocacy Advocacy Course, from 29-31 August. The teacher was Kay Brereton from the Wellington People’s Centre. People from many community organisations attended. We learned valuable information about WINZ practices and how to challenge them, for example when they breach the law.

I bought a second copy of the Benefit Fact File for our branch. This file, issued by the Wellington Peoples’ Centre has valuable information about benefit entitlements. The only problem with it has been a slowness in updating it, but our original file is now up to date. Our new member Alison, also copied the Social Security Legislation for us at the Union Union headquarters. I hope that attending this course has given our members who attended more confidence in helping beneficiaries who may join our union. Some of us are now regularly acting as peer advocates for each other and as advocates for new members. Beneficiaries increasingly need help with problems with WINZ practices which may be completely illegal and are often hard to make accountable, especially with no designated case officer per client.

September: Support for Mana Party

We voted to support Mana candidate Sue Bradford‘s campaign for the party vote.

John Key advocated compulsary income management for youth.

We were visited by Hone Popata, who wants to start a beneficiaries’ union in Kaitaia.

Our current Vice President Amy Carlin resigned. She is a busy mother of new baby Eva.

October: March of Solidarity; Occupy Queen St/Auckland

On October 1^st, we attended the March of Solidarity organised by Hone Popata, with participation by Maori, students and many oppressed groups. A few days before, students including some Unite members had occupied the Owen Glen Building at the university. At the time of writing we expect to attend the international October 15^th event; modelled on Occupy Wall St.

Finances, Membership and Fees transfer.

We probably have about 45 members who have at some time joined our branch. However paid up members are small in number at present, so unless current members pay their fees immediately we will not have enough paid up members to be able to send a delegate to the Unite National Conference and AGM. So I urge everybody to pay up. This year we introduced a new category of Associate Group membership which enables those with little money to join in a group of up to four and share one fee-but only one of these members can become an official Unite member for Unite purposes.

The requirement of Unite National Executive for us to regularly transfer our fees to the Headquarters and in theory get it back again immediately has not been working very effectively yet. We did a transfer in December 2010 and again around June 2011. It took a long time to get our December fees returned. We are still waiting for our June transfer to be returned. Paul took a break from being the treasurer whilst he was studying for about three months this year, so it was Keith and I who did the June transfer. As former treasurer and current President I still find it necessary to do the overall supervision of the financial transfers and negotiations with Gerard Heihir, Unite President.

Recently we have been paying an increasing proportion of our expenses out of our donations account which was built up over a number of years. If members don’t keep their fee payments up to date, we will have to increasingly rely upon this account, which will run out in time unless we receive substantial new donations. I appreciate the donation this year from our member David Ward for printer related expenses, and another personal donation from Sue Bradford (member of Auckland Action Against Poverty.)

We have had several new people attending meetings and joining the branch, but only some have stayed on long term. It’s always great to meet new members, so to those who are new now, including Alice, our new Vice President-a big welcome to you!

Janet

We are the 99%: Occupy Queen Street!

2011-10-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Oct 15th. International day of solidarity with Occupy Wall St movement.
Assemble Britomart Sq 3:00P.M. March to Aotea Sq. Come for 15 minutes or 15ays.
http://www.occupyauckland.org/

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

2011-10-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Branch of Unite! Union

Hon Secretary 16 Parrs Cross Rd Henderson ph 8369104

2011 Annual General Meeting

2:00 P.M. 16th October

Avondale Community Centre

Rosebank Rd

Waitemata Unite at the Hub, Ranui Caravan Park

2011-10-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Unite now has a clinic at the Hub at the Ranui Caravan Park , 532 Swanson Rd, also known as the Swanson Village. Every second Wednesday morning from 10am to 12 noon approximately we are available to help local beneficiaries and low income workers with any problems with WINZ, housing, or employment. Join the union so that we can all help each other! United we will never be defeated! Or just drop in for a chat and a cuppa. Call Keith 8369104 for further information.

2011-10-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Unite Members March In Solidarity with students, workers , unemployed. We Burn Social Security Amendment Act.

2011-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Unite in March of Solidarity

2011-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 1st October Waitemata Unite joined many others in solidarity to protest the attacks upon the working class, and to show the world -who are watching the Rugby World Cup- the real Aotearoa: those of us who are poor and oppressed, women, Maori, students, Pacifica, youth, children, low paid workers, unemployed and beneficiaries. Among the issues we protested cuts in wages , benefits education and health, theft of Maori land and seabed, deep sea oil drilling, fracking, enforced voluntary student membership, and the Search and Surveillance Bill. The people occupied an intersection in Queen St, and copies of legislation such as Social Security Amendment Act 2010, the Search and Surveillance Bill, the 90 Day Bill were burned in a bin. They plan to return in greater numbers bringing their unions with them. Photos will be posted soon, and you can look at these photos on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2387499685199.140917.1182019755&type=1

Videos:

Haka: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2387967016882

Waitemata Unite, Auckland Action Against Poverty, Students, Maori, Workers, Food activists , Beneficiaries and Unemployed United :

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2388088739925

No to Compulsary Income Management

2011-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

John Key would like to abolish benefits for youth in New Zealand, replacing them with a drastically limited spending card. We fear that this could be a foot in the door to be eventually extended to all beneficiaries. This is already starting to happen in Australia. Radical Women explains how this works in the Northern Territory, where Indigenous people are the first target.

Income Management is founded on the theft of Aboriginal land and genocide.

Already entrenched in the Northern Territory, the government plans to broaden Income Management to five new trial sites in 2012: being Bankstown, Rockhampton, Shepparton, Logan and Playford. Let’s also be clear that the scheme has been extended to include non-Indigenous people. Amongst those recently targeted in the NT are refugee women. This is to justify that the NT Intervention Laws are in compliance with the racial Discrimination Act. What could be further from the truth?

Compulsory Income Management is taking Indigenous people backwards, not forwards. The scheme quarantines 50% of Centrelink payments. We’re seeing history repeated. This is 1788 all over again and a return to the mission days. Compulsory Income Management against vulnerable groups such as First Nations people is discriminatory. A new report published by the Equal Rights Alliance, which represents more than 50 women’s organisations, documents the viewpoints of 180 women who have come into contact with the controversial income management scheme. Women describe the difficulties and stigma of using the basics card. Amongst other things, the report quotes a domestic violence worker who stated, “Northern Territory women suffering from domestic violence would rather stay in abusive relationships than risk having their welfare payments quarantined.”

This sexist system denies women the opportunity to live independent lives. This report, which specifically focuses on the experiences of women forced to use income management, exposes as bogus Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin’s often repeated claims that income management is helping Aboriginal women and children manage their money.

What’s more, users of the scheme can buy priority items only at government approved stores. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Back to the ration days of when Indigenous people received their meager quotas of sugar and flour from government stores. Further, this seriously impedes mobility for Indigenous people living in remote communities who have to travel miles to the nearby store. Indigenous people are being herded like cattle into the cities, away from their ancestral lands and sacred sites. Income management also discourages mutual aid and small business enterprises of Indigenous people, leaving them powerless and refugees in their own country.

Radical Women, an autonomous socialist feminist organisation committed to building women’s leadership, is campaigning against this genocidal and paternalistic measure by supporting a petition to the Senate initiated by a group in Bankstown. Please drop into the Solidarity Salon at 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick, where you can sign this very important petition that is being circulated. The petition calls for a moratorium on income management. It is absolutely essential that we stop this paternalistic scheme.

Marisa Sposaro

For more information, call Australia 03-9388-0062 or email radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au

Freedom Socialist Organiser # 7, October 2011

Take a drug test or lose benefits?

2011-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

By Simon Collins

5:30 AM Saturday Sep 24, 2011

EXPAND

Whakatane man Charlie James gave up smoking dope so he could pass a drug test for his job at Kajavala Forestry in Kawerau. Photo / Supplied

Addiction treatment services are raising the alarm about a proposal to penalise welfare beneficiaries who refuse to undergo drug tests or addiction treatment.

The proposal, by the Government's Welfare Working Group led by economist Paula Rebstock, aims to tackle drug and alcohol addictions as one of the main barriers keeping many beneficiaries out of paid work.

Thousands of young people, in particular, are being shut of of jobs because they are failing - or avoiding - drug tests.

But the NZ Drug Foundation says the proposal to chop people's benefits if they don't undergo drug tests or treatment is "driven by ideology" and "not supported by the scientific evidence".

"Benefit sanctions will not have the intended effect of encouraging all dependent users into treatment," it says in a stinging 12-page critique.

"Rather, it will leave many of them with exceptionally low or no income - a situation that undermines their likelihood for successful treatment."

The proposal is shaping up as a key election issue. Although the National Government has yet to announce its decisions on most of the Rebstock proposals, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett backs drug testing.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10753979

Learn to be an Advocate!

2011-08-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

Free Three Day Advocacy Training

Kay Beresford from the Wellington People's Centre in association with the Waitemata Branch of the Unite Union is offering a free, three day advocacy training for people who want to represent beneficiaries and those in the community.
This is a wonderful opportunity for people to learn valuable skills from this experienced advocate and trainer.

The training will be for three days:
Monday 29 August

Tuesday 30 August and

Wednesday 31 August,

9.30am to 4.30pm

The venue will be at the Te Atatu South Community Centre

Edmonton Rd, Te Atatu South

Kitchen facilities are available. There’s a Foodtown supermarket and takeaways nearby. Please bring food and drink either for yourself or to share.

Help- Car Pooling Needed!

Some people have indicated that they will need a ride to the training. If you need or can offer a ride, please let us know.

Some places are still available.

If you wish to enrol, please

email: keithhenderson66@gmail.com

tel ( 09 )8369104 mob: 0272800080

Look forward to seeing you all there!

nzherald.co.nz - Brian Rudman: Hunger in land of milk and honey

2011-07-27T02:34:00.001-07:00

It's a disgrace that children are hungry in Aotearoa! Everybody is entitled to a living income!

Brian Rudman: Hunger in land of milk and honey

For years, local celebrities have been popping up on our screens in their safari gear, imploring us to sponsor a poverty-stricken child. A child in some poor, badly governed, Third World country, of course. The Herald's "Our Hungry Kids" series shows the problem is much closer to home.

Perhaps the most chilling line is buried away in the daily "What you can do" box, recommending we "sponsor a hungry child through KidsCan for 50c a day". This, in the land of Fonterra. In a land where a state-school principal in one part of Auckland can demand every child come to school with a designer-brand, $1000 tablet computer. A land where the Government can throw $1.77 billion to greedy and unwise investors who lost their money to the cult of Alan Hubbard.

Child Poverty Action Group's latest report highlights the impact that 20 years of widening income disparity between rich and poor is having on the victims no one can blame, the children.

It also proposes that for a relatively small price - $8 million to $18.9 million - all primary and intermediate school kids in decile 1 to 3 schools could be provided with a nutritious breakfast, something which will be beneficial both healthwise and educationally.

"If a few children go hungry in the morning then that suggests a temporary or perhaps ongoing problem within individual families. If hundreds go hungry morning after morning then the problem is structural and can be addressed.

"Yet despite the ubiquity of food insecurity among students at Auckland's decile 1 and 2 schools, children's hunger is often portrayed as one of individual moral failure and stigmatised accordingly." As a result, some parents keep hungry children from school to avoid being stigmatised.

Yet blaming caregivers "fails to address the causes of hunger and denies children the assistance they need".

The causes of increased poverty, and the growth of foodbanks and school food programmes, go back to National's big benefit cuts of 1991.

About 221,000 children, those whose parents are on income-tested social security, are affected.

nzherald.co.nz

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Defend Our Benefits! Forum Sunday 31 July, Henderson, 1.30 pm

2011-07-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

WAITEMATA UNITE! FORUM

DEFEND OUR BENEFITS, WAGES AND SERVICES

Why are beneficiaries going to be forced to work when there are not enough decent jobs?

Waitemata Branch of Unite! Union is holding a community forum in Henderson this Sunday to provide the answer to this question. It will be held at at the WEA, 9 Henderson Valley Rd, starting at 1.30pm.
It's a Forum to highlight the many proposed changes to the benefit system as well as overall cuts in living standards at a time of 5% inflation that are already hitting ordinary people at the moment.

Workers in West Auckland are particularly vulnerable many families living below the poverty line.

"Thousands have already been taken off the invalids benefits losing $50 a week. The Rebstock Razor gang wants to reduce spending by nearly a third from around $4.7 billion to $3.4 billion per year by 2011 (dishonestly represented as $47b and $34b which is the amount for the entire ten years.) It aims to cut 100,000 people off the welfare rolls in the next decade above those who will get jobs with the projected economic 'recovery'. Overall, it hopes to reduce those on a benefit from 360,000 to 100,000 by 2021. It also plans to increase the proportion of beneficiaries having to seek work from 37% to 77%, with a possible work-for-the-dole."
http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com/2011/06/beneficiaries-labelled-as-mentally-ill.html

If the government goes ahead with these proposed changes then all beneficiaries will be put onto one 'Jobseeker Allowance' and pressured to find work. Some proposed changes are:

· Solo parents on the DPB will be expected to find part-time work when the youngest child reaches the age of 3 years. [Even the draconian 'reforms' in the UK set it at 5 years!]

· Sickness and invalid beneficiaries will be frequently reviewed to see if they can work.

· Beneficiaries with mental health problems or addictions will be forced into treatment or risk losing their benefit.

Waitemata Unite says that these are attacks on workers rights and living standards at a time of recession which is already doing terrible damage to suffering and fragile families, where the object is to pressure them to compete for work at low wages.

The Government is trying to get public support for these changes by blaming beneficiaries for their plight, calling them part of an 'underclass' that is dependent on social welfare. This is especially cynical when this Government is spending billions on bailing out banks and finance companies and yet cannot fund a welfare system that allows children to be fed before going to school.

Waitemata Unite! calls on all beneficiaries who want to defend their rights, and learn more about how Unite! Union works to support them, to come to the Forum and share their stories of the problems they face and how we can unite together as a community union to resist these changes.

See attached notice of Meeting
Also blog: http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com/ on which there are lots or stories and reports of what is happening to welfare in Aotearoa.
Also see facebook page of Waitemata Unite
http://www.facebook.com/groups/105132832866402?ap=1

For further information contact Hon Sec 836 9104 or mobile 027 2800080

Children's Hunger

2011-07-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hunger for learning. Nutritional Barrier's to children's education. Report by the Child Poverty Action Group:

http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Publications/2-0%2025804%20Hunger%20for%20Learning%20Brochure.pdf

Forum: Defend our Benefits, Wages and Services !

2011-07-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

FED UP and OUTRAGED at the Governments attacks on wages, benefits and social services?

Furious at the 90 Day Fire at will Act and the threatened destruction of the welfare system?

Fed up with price & GST hikes, cuts to health education and welfare services?

Fed up with harassment by WINZ staff acting on government instructions to reduce our entitlements?

Fed up with your contribution to society as a mother carer or worker not being valued ? Fed up with ill health, no support? and no jobs?

Outraged at being made to pay for the bosses' own economic crisis?

FORUM
WHERE: WEA 9 Henderson Valley Rd
WHEN: 1:30 p.m Sunday July 31st

Come along to these forums to share your experiences with others. Air your frustration and forge the bonds of solidarity that will defeat the National/Act/Maori Party coalition’s anti-working class agenda. Discuss which parliamentary parties are worth supporting in the coming general election.

Plan non-parliamentary actions, such as protests and pickets, strikes and co-operative food , housing, health, education and childcare.

Refreshments provided
Further forums planned for August 14th & 28th, Sept 11th & 25th

Hosted by Waitemata Branch of Unite! Union
836 9104 027 2800080

"Let Them Eat Weetbix" says Paula Bennett.

2011-07-25T13:08:00.001-07:00

At a public meeting on Health, at her office in Henderson last night, Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett said that no child needs to go hungry as all the parent needs to do is give them Weetbix with hot water.

She is saying that hunger is the beneficiaries' fault!

No matter , to Bennett, that the entire week's benefit has gone immediately to pay (a) rent-which may be higher than the benefit in the first place; (b) debts or car expenses

Unite Waitemata members brave the cold to protest

health and benefit cuts and privatisation. Monday 25 July 2011

(c ) emergency medical costs such as out of hours A@E costs for children; parking costs at a hospital, doctor's fees for anyone over five; (d) the school demands some more money for 'donations" or a school trip;

or (e) the water could even be cut under the Auckland City Council's new rules. So not even water with the weetbix! And the world cost of wheat, as with rice, grains, vegetables and all basic foods is rising astronomically due to floods, droughts and climate change.

So then- where does the money for the "Weetbix and water" diet that Bennett prescribes come from? And even if there was a few dollars to buy a packet of weetbix-how is that going to provide adequate nutrition for anyone?

Bennett does not even dare to mention Weetbix with milk, given the astronomic cost of milk. Where's the calcium? Where's the protein?

What does Bennett expect people to do in order to afford their Weetbix? Live on the street or under bridges? Beg, steal, or prostitute themselves? Send their kids out to work all night at MacDonalds or Burger King?

And if people decide to make sacrifices to pay the rent- they may go hungry, or suffer from overcrowding, or damp mouldy houses. Then Bennett blames us for not feeding our children Weetbix every morning .

Or for living in "clusters". Overcrowding, hunger, stress and poor housing is a recipe for domestic abuse and disease. But the the National and Labout governments take no responsibility for their part in drastically cutting benefits in 1991 and continuously eroding them ever since , with the worst yet to come!

The government's policy towards low income people and beneficiaries is economic violence. Cuts kill.

Children with poor nutrition not only can't learn at school, but suffer a life time of poor health and die young. So do women or children who have suffered domestic abuse.

The Child Poverty Action Group is calling on the Government to fund food programmes for hungry children in schools, now that the Red Cross Programme has collapsed due to supermarkets pulling out of the programme. This just goes to show, says the CPAG, that we can't rely on charity. Too right we can't. It's time for the government to step up to its responsibility and to stop blaming parents who can't make ends meet on sub- poverty incomes. Shame on you National! and Shame on Labour before! Neither have lifted a finger to help beneficiaries and their children out of poverty in over 20 years! Shame upon these governments for letting things get so bad that the Red Cross had to step in!!!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/social-issues/news/article.cfm?c_id=87&objectid=10740630

A single parent with three disabled children who relies on the DPB and works part time as a teacher aide said that she has to take her children to the hospital each week and each time pays exorbitant hospital parking fees. She pointed out that many people would not get the health care that their children needed faced with these costs. Doctors fees are also prohibitive for all but the under fives; and even they have to pay at after hour A@E centres.

Citizen's watch dog Penny Bright asked where was the accountability for the private health providers who had contracts with the Department of Health; and suggested that if enormous amounts of money was not siphoned off to some of the middle men that free parking would be quite affordable. She said it was totally unacceptable for people to have to pay for parking for health care.

There was also a lively debate on the pros and cons of raising the drinking age, with young people arguing forcefully against it and a representative from CADS begging for some intervention to prevent people drinking too much. One person suggested gradually raising the smoking age, and some National Party supporters even thanked Hone Harawira for the legislative changes about smoking that he brought about.

The single parent of the three disabled children also asked: What about alternative medicine? Why do the Regional Health Advisors refuse to acknowledge that this is valid, as had been her experience? Paula Bennett did not accept that they were doing this. Here we have a beneficiary's actual experience being contradicted by a Minister's assertions.

Poverty , hunger and ill health is the Government's Shame- Not Ours!

Living Benefits and Living Wages Now!

Free Nutritious Food in Schools Now !

Picket Benefit Bashing UK Minister Friday 22 July

2011-07-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

AUCKLAND ACTION AGAINST POVERTY

Media Release Wednesday 13 July 2011

VISITING UK WELFARE MINISTER TO FACE PICKET

Auckland Action Against Poverty will picket UK Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith when he speaks at a dinner hosted by the Maxim Institute next week.

The picket will take place on Friday 22 July from 5.30pm onwards, outside the Heritage Hotel, 35 Hobson St, Auckland.

Iain Duncan Smith is the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and will be presenting Maxim’s 2011 Annual Sir John Graham Lecture ‘Renewing compassion: a vision for welfare that frees rather than traps the poor.’

AAAP spokesperson Sue Bradford says, ‘Iain Duncan Smith has presided over horrendously damaging reforms to the UK welfare system, including the removal of hundreds of thousands of people from invalids’ benefits and increased privatisation of services .’

‘Work and Pensions contractors in the UK have even been issued with guidelines on how to deal with suicide threats from beneficiaries as the impacts of the reforms take hold.’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/08/jobcentre-staff-guidelines-suicide-threats

‘Our own Government’s Welfare Working Group report released in February has taken many of its recommendations directly from reforms made by Mr Smith and the UK’s Conservative Government.’

‘We are holding the picket next Friday because we want to stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who are being adversely affected by welfare reforms there, and because we strongly oppose similar recommendations in the Rebstock report.

‘We suspect that Maxim has brought Mr Smith to New Zealand so that he can provide moral support to the welfare reform changes National has promised to offer as part of its core election strategy.

Auckland Action Against Poverty is committed to doing everything we can to oppose the Rebstock recommendations, and to expose the National welfare agenda.

AAAP was set up in late 2010 to bring together unemployed people, beneficiaries, students, unionists, church people and others working for a fairer society which puts the wellbeing of low income people above the welfare of bankers and investors. Recent actions include a ‘race to the bottom’ after the 2011 budget, and an occupation of Paula Bennett’s office following the release of the Rebstock report.

Contact: Sue Bradford Ph 027 243 4239 or (09) 837 0416; bradford.sue73@gmail.com

Spokesperson: Auckland Action Against Poverty

Meet Janet Grossman, UK Welfare slasher, New Head of WINZ

2011-07-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

Us born Janet Grossman, newly appointed head of WINZ was previously employed to slash 60 billion pounds off welfare expenditure in the UK, as the chief operating officer of the Department of Work and Pensions. It looks like she's been head hunted to do the same job here. Her main tactic was to decimate Job Centre staff levels; replacing human interaction with technology such as the use of call centres and the internet. Despite large numbers of applicants for benefits having enormous problems getting through on the phone (often giving up), or being able to afford the expensive phone calls or to understand the complex forms ; Janet Grossman's methods have been considered a success because they have saved the department large sums of money. Those with disabilities and carers were among the worst served and the most neglected.Here's a quote from a British parliamentary committee of 2006 before which Ms Grossman appeared:

"...let us congratulate Ms Grossman, shall we - if we read her CV we see that: "Under Janet's leadership, the Pension Service operations have improved efficiency and customer service, reducing staff numbers by 26% whilst improving service levels in the last 18 months". She has done a fantastic job and I pay tribute to her. When we need to summon you back in a couple of years' time, which I will obviously do, will you be able to tell us that Ms Grossman has been promoted and received a pay rise but those responsible for a lagging performance elsewhere have been sacked and moved on?" http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmpubacc/uc1034-i/uc103402.htm The transcript is hilarious, especially the cross questioning by one Austin Mitchell, Labour MP for Grimsby (of Quarter-acre-Pavlova Paradise fame) who asks are the customers told midway thru their phone call how much it is costing them? That was 2006, so its likely she has turned 100s of jobcentres into callcentres to get people to chase jobs over the phone or online (services contracted to the private sector).

For more on Janet Grossman's passion for cutting public services see:

http://www.publictechnology.net/sector/central-gov/smart-gov-new-approach-needed-public-sector-ict

On the day of the earthquake The WWW report came out

2011-06-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Protest on Feb 22nd, 2011, Bennett's office, by Auckland Action Against Poverty, with Waitemata Unite and others. See

Welfare Working Group's Infamous Report

Beneficiaries Labelled as Mentally Ill

2011-06-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

National Seeks Mandate for Welfare Cuts

National plans to make the Welfare Working Group’s notorious recommendations key election policy. The ethnic-cleansing style recommendations include forcing the sick and disabled into work, long term contraception injections, compulsory vaccinations, making single mothers with a second child go back to work when the baby is 14 weeks old and cutting benefits for child truancy, failing to get child 'health checks' or refusing treatments.

A ministerial group (including Beneficiary Bashing Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett, and Not Achieved Education Minister Anne Tolley) will make the final decision, and legislation is expected around September this year. WINZ looks set to be replaced by Employment and Support New Zealand (ESNZ) in July 2012, with all benefits being replaced by a single Job Seeker Allowance.

Benefits cut and no jobs

Benefits are at half their pre- 1991 levels in real terms compared to the minimum wage. A quarter of New Zealand children (and rising) live in poverty. Child abuse levels are through the roof. The Red Cross distributes food to hungry children in our schools. Food prices are soaring and 271,000 are officially jobless. Aotearoa’s unemployment rate continues at 6.6%, up 0.5% over the year, and that’s excluding Canterbury. Anecdotally, staff at a North Shore WINZ office have reported a rise in applicants from around 40-50 a week to 800 a week since the recession began. Youth not in paid work is staggeringly high at thirty five per cent.

Despite this alarming poverty and unavailability of jobs, the National Government continues to pursue an “unrelenting work focus” (Ministry of Social Development catch phrase) and plans to drastically slash the remaining benefits and to “reduce considerably those on sickness and invalids benefits”. Thousands have already been taken off the invalids benefits losing $50 per week. The Rebstock Razor gang wants to reduce spending by nearly a third from around $4.7b to $3.4b per year by 2011 (dishonestly represented as $47b and $34b which is the amount for the entire ten years.) It aims to cut100,000 people off the welfare rolls in the next decade above those who will get jobs with the projected economic recovery. Overall, it hopes reduce those on a benefit from 360,000 to 100,000 by 2021. It also plans to increase the proportion of beneficiaries having to seek work from 37% to77%; with possible work for the dole.

Commentator Gordon Campbell puts it this way: “If the American models for these reforms are anything to go by, those 100,000 people will not simply vanish – they will turn up on our street corners, living out of cardboard boxes.” At the same time the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development earns around $ 540,000 per year (2009 figures). “Now how many 'ordinary' wage and salary earners could live off that?” (Radical, beneficiary activist, in Indymedia discussion)

Not Having a Job is now Seen as a Mental Illness

In order to slash the numbers on the welfare rolls, a key target of the Welfare Working Group (Razor Gang) is the half of the 145,000 sickness/invalids beneficiaries which it says have “unmet mental health needs” which prevent them from working. The ministry admits that it could take “several years” to turn these 72,000 'mentally ill' people into a source of profits. “But we can't wait a year to start ... so we are getting on with training people. Those people will be essential."

Professor Des Gorman, a member of the Rebstock Razor Gang, and chairman of Health Workforce NZ proposes that the Government trains more mental health nurses, and more general practitioners to take “ a special interest” in mental health and addiction. He calls for ACC style 'rehabilitation' to be available, which no doubt roughly translates as “work will set you free” (arbeit macht frei”).

While it is a good idea for those making decisions about the lives of 'mentally ill' beneficiaries to actually learn something about the subject (as at present none of the Regional Health Advisors or designated doctors working for WINZ have a clue) ; the new courses will undoubtedly be a vehicle for the government’s “unrelenting work” focus. It’s likely to become increasingly difficult for anyone (especially a trainee) to question this semi- fascistic approach whose real intent is hidden behind caring language. Here’s an example of the Welfare Working Group’s misuse of language. And here’s the NZ Herald editorial , ‘Work helps ill beneficiaries get better’, replicating the MSD stories as if they were true, and their solutions as if they were commonsense: “Psychological disorders, led by stress and depression, accounted for the entire increase in sickness benefits and a third of the increase in invalids benefits from 1996 to 2002.”

The trainees could well become 'essential', working for low wages, employed by private contractors or NGO’s, learning how to diagnose “mental health needs” in every second sickness beneficiary and prescribing work cures and benefit cuts for most of them. Perhaps underpaid trainees might even run programmes at boot camps for the sick, mentally ill and disabled, similar to those for law breakers and unemployed already being criticised by John Key’s Science Advisor.

And where is this 'Mental Health'’ money coming from? The short answer is-beneficiaries and the sick will pay for it with cuts to benefits and services! Unlike in Australia, where A$2.2 billion extra per year for five years has been provided to 'help' the mentally ill into work , nothing extra has been provided in National’s Budget. So the money has to come out of existing funds for Social Development and Health, despite talk about $1.3b having been “ring fenced” for the project.

The view of unemployment as a ‘mental illness’ is a form of victim blaming. Rather than admitting the truth that the capitalist system needs unemployment to keep wages down and profits up, this view blames the individual for their predicament and suffering. It promotes the delusion that therapies and drugs for the individual can solve the problem of unemployment. The only thing that can solve unemployment is to end the system that creates it!

Co-option of Health Professionals

Robert Steenhuisen, co-chairman of the National Committee for Addiction Treatment spoke out in support of these proposals. With a background in compulsory addiction treatment for offenders, he said that group sessions would probably work best for beneficiaries who often had multiple problems besides addictions. The possibility that some people don’t like working in groups is not mentioned. He went on to say “"People have to reach a certain level of awareness that this is how their life is and that no one is going to make it better for them except themselves".

In this arrogant prescription, there’s no mention of the social causes of people’s suffering that are largely beyond their control-unemployment rates, poverty, social isolation, racism, sexism, beneficiary bashing, harassment, state and family violence to name a few. Instead we need to learn that it’s all our fault!

Robert Steenhuisan does say one good thing though: “Working with people in groups helped them realise they were not the only ones with difficulties.” The possibility is always there for people forced together on some ESNZ programme to actually unite together to fight for their rights.

The New Zealand College of Nurses uncritically reprints an outline of the 'Work Focused Support' approach of Dr David Bratt, Principal Health Advisor of WINZ, (described by Radical as a “simple GP’ in Wellington) on their website. They describe it as “a more integrated approach to combining matters of health and disability with aspects of social wellbeing which fits well with a nursing approach”. Perhaps this support has something to do with the fact that the majority of the Regional Health Advisors employed by WINZ were intended to be nurses.

Extraordinary Powers of Health Professionals

WINZ Regional Health Advisors (some of whom are nurses, but at least one is unqualified) and designated doctors have extraordinary powers as no case officer untrained in health would dare to reject their 'advice'. Radical, a beneficiary campaigner, points out in a discussion in Indymedia , that all the RHA’s and designated doctors have an “absolute work focus.” The designated doctors (who don’t know the client and see them for only a few minutes) are often given far more credence by the case officer than the beneficiary’s own doctor. Radical says:

“I have seen bizarre and absurd 'second opinions' that were totally contrary to ( the opinions) of the normal GPs or other health practitioners (that) clients see...The onus is being put onto the ill person to 'prove' that she/he is really as ill as doctor's medical certificates state. Indirectly the Ministry also treats medical practitioners that are not working with them as 'designated doctor' as possibly not being competent enough to make the assessments they make." The only option WINZ provides for a beneficiary who is not happy with the decision of a designated doctor is to take the matter to a 'Medical Appeal Board.' The decision of this board is final.

As Radical points out, WINZ’s “unrelenting work focus” compromises medical ethics. The ethics of any health professional surely require the health interests of the patient to be put first, rather than the employer’s interests to have them on the labour market. Indeed the horrendous treatment that many people with health and disability issues have faced by WINZ has in fact CAUSED enormous mental health problems for some people. One commentator put it this way on facebook: “They have their own doctors lined up-stacked with arseholes-just like ACC....I wanted to throw up.”

Compulsory Treatment

Re-casting sickness or invalids beneficiaries as mentally ill, addicts, or akin to criminals provides an excuse for completely stripping them of their human rights-not that they had too many to start with!-and exercising total control over them. Many beneficiaries have spoken of the 'soft fascist', 'police state' or 'nazi'-like way they are being treated. The current proposals for compulsory treatment of beneficiaries are reminiscent of the Soviet post Stalinist era when political dissidents were forced to take neuroleptics, mind numbing psychiatric medication; or of the identical forced drugging of social dissidents (eg poets, blacks, lesbians and gays) in the USA who were unfortunate enough to be diagnosed as being mentally ill (See Mad in America by Robert Whitaker esp pps 211-219). One person reported on facebook: “Compulsory treatment has already started. People are being forced to take medication or lose the benefit as it is seen as not making an effort to get better... even if the medication makes them worse, and there are no other options.”

What needs to be done?

Many beneficiaries are finding that their lives are being increasingly controlled by WINZ designated doctors, regional health advisors, or case officers who are ignorant of , unsympathetic towards, or plain hostile to their real needs;- such as an adequate income, genuine connection to others, and some autonomy over their own lives. Adding a layer of mental health trainees and intensifying pressure to look for work, is adding insult to injury.

Under this increasing pressure, beneficiaries are fighting back spontaneously and are starting to get organised. In one case "a woman (at DSW) who was obviously stressed and desperate for some assistance was stone walled at the counter. She picked up her baby, 18month old and popped her on the counter and walked away... Suddenly, there was this huge commotion and the tone from the dept changed.” (reported on facebook).

Individually, beneficiaries resist WINZ decisions by making appeals, sometimes with the help of advocacy groups, and one beneficiary is challenging the legal basis of entire WINZ policies. Some beneficiaries are joining the new Te Mana movement to try to defeat National’s policies.

What is needed is a combined fight back of beneficiaries and paid workers, with community organisations, anti-poverty groups, advocacy groups and unions working together. Unions need to include beneficiaries in their ranks. The Unite union was set up to do this, but so far has not done so, apart from the Waitemata Branch which is successfully organising at a grass roots level.

The protests in North Africa and Europe have shown that unemployed can indeed fight back, and even lead revolutionary movements. This is giving inspiration and hope to beneficiaries here in Aotearoa. We need to drive National out, fight in our communities and workplaces, and end capitalism. Expropriate the expropriators! In its place we need a socialist society where people work together to meet real human needs, where women and children are at the centre and not the periphery, and where vulnerable members are treated with caring and respect.

http://redrave.blogspot.com/2011/06/beneficiaries-labelled-mentally-ill.html

We join Race to the Bottom Street Theatre

2011-06-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Unite joined a protest organised by the Auckland Action Against Poverty on Budget Day. We took part in some street theatre of a Race to the bottom of all the different sections of society. The lively protest was held outside the conference rooms in the Sky Tower, where the National Party was holding a conference about its budget. The single mother won the race!

Waitemata Unite Joins Budget Protest

2011-06-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

National's Budget continues to favour the rich at the expense of the poor! On 20th May, Waitemata Unite joined 400 other supporters of the Social Justice Coalition, to march up Queen St, Auckland, in protest!

Waitemata Unite Marches on May Day

2011-06-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

May Day Protest

2011-06-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Unite lead the way in the march up Queen St for social justice, on May Day, 1st May, organised by the newly formed Social Justice Coalition.

Sweeping benefit changes 'horrifying'

2011-05-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

Proposed welfare reforms that aim to push people into work are "vile" and the punitive sanctions on beneficiaries will only put further strain on community organisations, advocates say.

Eight Cabinet ministers have been appointed to the ministerial group that will consider the Welfare Working Group's 43 recommendations.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that National would campaign on any changes the ministerial group decided on.

The Welfare Working Group aimed to cut the number of people on a benefit from 360,000 to 100,000 by 2021. It suggested the creation of a single Jobseeker Support benefit to replace the dole, domestic purposes, sickness and other benefits. All but the seriously ill and disabled would be required to find work.

The Government has ruled out requiring women who have a child while on a benefit to return to work when their baby is 14 weeks old, but all other recommendations remain on the table.

They include tying the benefit to a requirement ensuring parents make their children go to school and get regular health checks; cutting payments to those with alcohol and drug problems who refuse treatment and providing long-term reversible contraception.

The Group's report was released on February 22, the same day as the fatal Christchurch earthquake and the Government response was delayed as a result.

Mr Key said the Government, like many New Zealanders, believed the welfare system was working as it should.

He refused to comment on specific recommendations, except to say the 14-week requirement made him "uneasy".

Former Green MP Sue Bradford said she was terrified about what might come from what she dubbed the biggest welfare shake-up since the 1930s.

"It's likely that a substantial part, if not all, of the (Working Welfare Group chair Paula) Rebstock recommendations will form part of National's welfare strategy for the election."

The reforms aimed to increase the harassment of beneficiaries and to interfere with their lives even more, Ms Bradford said. "Given that we have 271,000 jobless at the moment, that it's not about getting jobs for people, it's about harassing them to the point that they're going to go off the benefit regardless."

If implemented, the reforms would push people further into crime, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health problems and suicide.

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There were no jobs for people to go into and the Government would be better focusing on improving training, Ms Bradford said.

Taking away the 14-week threshold option may be a way for the Government to introduce another recommendation that all parents on benefits be required to look for work when their youngest child is one, rather than the current three years.

She said the changes were "vile" and "absolutely horrifying".

Salvation Army Major Campbell Roberts said monetary sanctions against beneficiaries who did not meet certain requirements would put pressure on community organisations.

"What's going to happen to them during that period of time ... children still have to be cared for, there's still got to be food in the house."

There was also nothing in the Welfare Working Group's report about the value of caring for children, Mr Roberts said.

Access to childcare services was particularly difficult in low socio-economic areas and was often a great distance from the home and work.

WORKING ON WELFARE

The Welfare Working Group's recommendations include:

Requiring mothers who have a baby while on a benefit to go back to work when their additional child is 14 weeks.

Providing beneficiaries with long-term reversible contraception.

Requiring single parents to look for 20 hours work a week once their youngest child is three and 30 hours a week when the youngest turns six.

Tying the benefit to a requirement that solo parents ensure their children go to school and get regular health checks.

Requiring 16 and 17-year-olds on a benefit to be in education, training, paid work or a combination of the three.

Providing teen parent facilities so teenage mothers can continue their education.

Requiring beneficiaries aged under 18 to live with a responsible adult or under adult supervision.

Cutting benefits for people with drug and alcohol problems who refuse to attend treatment and counselling services.

Beneficiaries who do not meet work test, drug and alcohol and other requirements would have their payments cut for two weeks by 25 per cent for the first breach, 50 per cent for the second and completely for the third. A fourth failure would result in a 13-week stand-down.

The high-powered ministerial group includes:

Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennet

Finance Minister Bill English

Justice Minister Simon Power

Health and State Services Minister Tony Ryall

Education Minister Anne Tolley

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce

Women's Affairs Minister Hekia Parata

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5076400/Sweeping-benefit-changes-horrifying

They Say Cutback, We Say Fight Back

2011-05-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

MARCH/RALLY: Budget 2011

DON'T CUT OUR FUTURE.

12 noon, Sat 28th May,

QE2 Square, Bottom of Queen St, Opposite Britomart.

From food/petrol price increases to Govt cuts and assest sales. Civilised society is under threat.

More info call CSJ 09 8366389 or 0212106720
"When good people lay idle, evil prospers".

Stand up NZ before it's to late!

Why You Need to Join Unite!:

2011-04-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

Why you need to Join Unite! Union- and Waitemata Unite!

Unite! is a Community Union

Unite! is for low paid and casual workers, and for those who may not be in paid work for any reason, such as unemployment, illness disability, studying or parenting. We are all members of a community or whanau. We are all members of the working class. Unemployment rates are soaring. The government is not interested in creating suitable jobs that meet our needs or family responsibilities. It doesn’t value the contributions we make. It just wants to cut spending on benefits, and make us look for non- existent work. It is about to implement a number of the beneficiary bashing recommendations of the Welfare Working Group. Its basic philosophy is that ‘work makes us free’. To drive home this message it’s proposing to abolish most benefits and combine them into a lower-paid ‘Jobseeker Allowance’. Note that instead of a ‘benefit’ to which we have a right, it is called an ‘allowance’ so that we are only ‘allowed’ to get it if we seek jobs. This shifts the responsibility away from society to create jobs, onto us to find jobs. If we don’t find them because they aren’t there, or if we refuse to work for a starvation wage, or get sacked under the 90 Day Act for no reason, we are going to be blamed as ‘lazy bludgers’.

Unite! is a Union for Low Paid and Casual Workers

Unite is one of New Zealand’s fastest growing unions with over 10,000 members. Many young people who had never been in a union before are now proud Unite members. We are a lively and strong union who have had many successes! We successfully campaigned to abolish youth rates. Many of our members, such as those in the fast food industry, now have better wages and conditions protected by collective contracts. Most recently the Unite! ‘UTU’ squads of activists have successfully picketed bosses sacking workers under the 90 Day Act and lockouts of workers like at Skycity. Low paid workers are learning that when we unite together and stand strong, we can win!

Unite! is a Union for Unpaid Workers

Mothers are bringing up the future workers of our society. Carers care for the sick and elderly. Students work hard on their studies and still have to make ends meet in their spare time! Many of us do voluntary work, and help our communities. Now the Welfare Working Group is proposing that mothers and fathers on what is now the Domestic Purposes Benefit must work when their youngest child becomes 3yrs old. And if you have a child while on the DPB you will be punished and forced to go to work when the child reaches 14 weeks! Child centres will be allowed to take up to 75 under 2yrs with only 5 staff to look after them! Baby farming under 2’s while the mums and dads are turned into slave labourers! Join Unite! Fight against forced wage labour for mothers and baby farming for under 2’s and for the right to a living benefit!

The Fight against Work Tested Benefits and the 90 Day ‘Fire-at-Will’ Act

The 2010 Social Security Amendment Act came into effect last October. Mothers with children over six , and those on sickness benefits, have joined those on unemployment benefits in having to be available for paid work, whether it suits our family or health needs or not. Those on invalids’ benefits are being forced off them, losing $50 per week and having to look for work too! We will be punished by having half our benefits slashed if we don’t comply. If we still don’t comply after four weeks, our benefits are stopped altogether! Whenever we apply for a benefit, we face a thirteen week stand down if we left a previous job “for no good reason’ or were sacked for “misconduct”. Now the 90 Day ‘Fire-At-Will’ Act means that we could be sacked from a job for no reason, and then could face a benefit stand down for another 91 days for being sacked!

What’s Behind the Welfare Reform plans for Major Cuts in Social Welfare?

Why has the Welfare Working Group and Treasury proposed to savagely reduce our rights even further? Columnist Michael Laws calls us “ferals” and wants all benefits stopped to stop us “breeding”. John Key says that nobody would starve if all welfare was abolished. The WWG ‘razor gang’ wants all beneficiaries to be work tested and penalised if they do not take offered work. Invalid and Sickness beneficiaries will be medically reviewed and pressured into work. To cover up this trick they propose to eliminate benefits and combine them into a single ‘Jobseeker Allowance’. The effect will be to push people into meaningless work on poverty wages to drive down all wages towards the minimum. Meanwhile the government has raised the minimum wage by a miserable 25cents to $13 an hour when GST, food, petrol, rents etc costs will rise at over 4% plus this year. So that is a minimum wage cut! They are legislating to create a huge pool of poor people competing for non-existent or rubbish jobs while the rich are getting tax cuts and companies are getting bailouts. The government says its reforms will create jobs. Yes, the employers will be encouraged to create more minimum wage jobs on poverty wages to boost their profits!

This is why you need Unite! Unite! can fight these laws!
Unite! fights for the rights of employed and beneficiaries!
Waitemata Unite! is a branch of the Unite! union

If you are a paid worker, Unite! will represent you in any disputes with your employer. If you become unemployed, you can still be a member of Unite!

If you are a beneficiary Waitemata Unite! will support you if you have troubles with WINZ getting the benefit you are entitled to. We will attend WINZ appointments with you, and can call a picket if WINZ persists in treating someone unfairly.

Unite! is picketing employers who sack any worker under the 90 Day legislation. We intend to make this law unworkable!

Lower benefits mean lower wages! Employed and unemployed need to Unite! for a living income for all ! Join Unite! Fight for a living benefits and a living wages! Waitemata Unite will fight every unjust benefit stand down!

These employment and benefit laws are unjust, and they must be changed! We need to stand strong and show the Government we will not take it!

Workers in paid employment can go on strike. Beneficiaries can refuse to go shopping or take our kids out on a demonstration instead of doing the housework. We can all go on pickets. We need to support each other. Together we are strong.

We meet every 3rd Saturday of the month at 11 am at the Avondale Community Centre, and have regular pickets and forums.

Come along, have a cuppa, get involved!

Unemployed and Employed, Join Waitemata Unite today!

Welfare Working Group's Infamous Report

2011-04-03T02:27:00.000-07:00

The WWG's report may be found at the following site:
http://ips.ac.nz/WelfareWorkingGroup/Downloads/Final%20Report/WWG-Executive-Summary-Final-Recommendations-22-February-2011.pdf

On February 22nd, the day the Christchurch earthquake struck, Paula Bennett’s Welfare Working Group (WWG) released its recommendations, which were greeted with a lively and well attended protest demonstration at the Henderson office of Work and Income. The more spectacular of the two catastrophes of course received far greater attention from the media, despite momentousness of the WWG’s report, and the likelihood that in the long term the recommended welfare “reforms” could result in a higher but less easily visible toll of casualties.
At a time of high unemployment attributable entirely to the unresolved global economic crisis, the WWG’s recommendations set the ambitious target of ”at least 100,000 fewer working age people receiving welfare by 2021…” Needless to say, the measures recommended to achieve this goal are thoroughly draconian, and include intensive case management of “Job Seekers” (as all beneficiaries including sole parents and invalids are to be designated) with punitive sanctions for those who seek but fail to find non-existent employment: Benefit cuts and stand-downs and forced labour are the order of the day.

In the preamble the WWG report predictably claims, “Our welfare system has major deficiencies that need to be corrected…”. Substitute the word “report” for “welfare system” and their claim would be valid. A search of the report in electronic pdf file yields zero results for certain words with obvious relevance, namely “recession”, “depression” or “financial crisis” This glaring omission cannot be explained by culpable ignorance or naivety on the group’s part, as the report does at one point fleetingly refer to the global crisis, trivializing it as an “economic downturn” which it blithely assume will be temporary. Nowhere do they discuss whether such optimism is warranted, nor do they address its implications, which if adequately considered would make a mockery of their ideological premises. Where they recommend that the government ”undertake an investigation into whether labour marker barriers to employment need to be addressed as part of a strategy to reduce benefit dependency.” It attests to its own disgraceful failure to make the very investigation necessary to formulate meaningful recommendations, and thus implicitly acknowledge its abject incompetence to do so.

The real significance of this gross omission is as follows: By pretending that no economic crisis has occurred it becomes unnecessary to blame the government’s bosom-friends the financiers for the widespread misery it has caused, and equally unnecessary to correctly identify the crisis as the real cause of the high levels of welfare dependency that the WWG so self-righteously deplores- and condemns. Instead, the wrath of the working class at being subjected to wage & employment cuts is diverted to the convenient scapegoats in the form of the crisis’ hardest-hit victims. Thus does the working class become divided and weakened at a time when in angry unity it could rise up to threaten the abusive power of its oppressors.

More than just diverting the blame for the crisis onto its victims, the WWG’s recommendations will serve very effectively to divert the cost of the crisis onto the working class as a whole. When 100 000 sole parents and invalids are goaded into the labour market they will be competing for employment with an army of former government employees laid off by cuts just announced to the civil service. The threat of eviction if not starvation will force them to accept whatever wage employers care to offer, however low, and crisis- hit employers will be to intent on defending their threatened profits at anyone’s expense but their own. So wages will be driven down to maintain bosses profits. That this is the true purpose of “welfare reform” is borne out by other such anti-worker legislation as the 90-day Fire-at-Will Act.

Further evidence that the WWGs recommendations are tailored to suit the corporate agenda is that along with the radically “fundamental” reform of placing all claimants on a “Job Seeker” benefit goes the contracting out of welfare services to “private and community, not-for-profit sector agencies to deliver employment services.” When the “community” has been devastated (earthquakelike) by other neo-liberal cutbacks, that leaves the field clear for such multi-national “players” as Lockheed -Martin, which has extended its tentacles all over the US welfare system. Oops, this overlooks the Iwi agencies who, considering the disproportionate representation of Maori amongst the unemployed, are to be assigned a major role in achieving the aforementioned target of reduction by 100,000.

Amongst the most maniacally single-minded of the WWG’s “work-focused” recommendations (albeit only by a “majority”) is the one “that a work test in the case of parents having an additional child while on welfare should be aligned with paid parental leave provisions (when the youngest child reaches 14 weeks).” This despite paying lip service elsewhere to “identify[ing] the likely impact of welfare reform on the well-being of children.” That WWG is apparently unaware after months of “consultation” that the “likely impact” has already been identified by concerned professionals (otherwise it could never have considered such a proposal) is proof that it has been selective in its consultation.

Perhaps this last proposal was calculated to make John Key look benign in comparison when he publicly rejected it.

With respect to the last recommendation, the WWG covers its backside by recommending that “the current Taskforce on Early Childhood Education consider ways to improve the availability and affordability of childcare and early childhood education services for lower paid families and people on welfare, including reprioritising some of the existing ECE expenditure.”

True to its real agenda, Key’s government has already responded ever so benignly to this the only commendable recommendation by slashing the funding of ECE with the effect of making childcare services unaffordable to those who will be coerced into using them.

On top of punitive sanctions against alleged malingerers there is intrusive prying into domestic affairs, with for example sanctions against mothers who become pregnant while receiving a benefit. Before the last election the corporate media were trumpeting the accusatory and disparaging slogan of “Nanny State” in their eagerness to get the Natacts elected. Their deafening silence now is hardly attributable to natural disasters. Fine by them that their ideal state now offers it ample mammaries only to voracious corporate suckers. For the working class it has become a harsh, puritanical and Calvinistic Victorian patriarch, with values that match its pure Victorian economic policies.

Other comments on the report may be found at:
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2011/02/24/gordon-campbell-on-the-welfare-working-group-final-report/
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1102/S00213/wwg-shows-no-understanding-of-social-security.htm

What it's really like for single mothers

2011-04-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

Reality ignored in parallel welfare universe

By Donna Wynd and Susan St John

Wednesday Mar 30, 2011 NZ Herald

The Government taskforce's plans amount to a punishment for young mothers.
The Welfare Working Group's final report, Reducing Long-term Benefit Dependency 2011, is arguably one of the most unenlightened pieces of work ever to emerge from a government-funded taskforce.

Most submissions were ignored, revealing that much of the consultation process was simply a public relations exercise.

The report uses the term "paid work" 242 times but "unpaid work" does not appear once. Thus, caregiving to young children by their parents is invisible and unvalued.

Parents are either paid workers or "jobseekers", but not nurturers caring for the next generation of New Zealanders.

The working group proposes a range of reforms to sort out feckless sole parents. To illustrate how these would operate they use the example of "Nikki", who has two children aged 3 and 6, works part-time at night and has just separated from her partner.

Under the present rules, Nikki will receive the domestic purposes benefit and not be expected to work until her younger child is 6.

Under the working group proposals she would become a "jobseeker", but a benefit would be unnecessary because her "co-ordinator" - a private-sector case worker paid to move people off benefits - will arrange "free" childcare at the local kindergarten and an accommodation supplement, and help her claim Working for Families from Inland Revenue and Child Support from her ex-partner.

As if by magic, Nikki "continues working, and also looking after her children".

This facile case study obscures the bothersome reality that Nikki faces. In Child Poverty Action Group's experience, the story is more likely to go something like this: Nikki and her partner find themselves under increasing stress from financial difficulties.

Her partner works long hours for low pay, and to help the family finances Nikki works 10 hours a week at night at the local supermarket.

When Nikki's partner moves out, the children are distraught and develop behavioural problems. On being notified of the separation, Inland Revenue cuts off her In Work Tax Credit and bills her for overpayments because she does not work 20 hours a week.

Eventually Nikki's meagre savings run out and she is forced on to a benefit and to seek cheaper accommodation in another part of town with few services.

The local kindergarten is full but the day-care centre accepts the unsettled 3-year-old. While the 20 hours' day care is supposed to be free, in fact it costs $150 a week, money she does not have.

Meanwhile, in the welfare working group's parallel universe, Nikki is a "jobseeker". To help meet the government group's specified outputs, she must come off the DPB and work at least 20 paid hours.

Suppose that Nikki is fortunate enough to find 20 hours of work during day-care hours. At the minimum wage, 20 hours nets her $223 a week. From this she still has to pay for day care.

Added to the 20 hours is commuting time and travel to drop off and collect the children. She also has to run the home, cook meals, help with homework and remain sufficiently emotionally stable to be a good parent on her own.

Obviously 20 hours does not give her enough money to live on. "No problem", says the co-ordinator, who organises a top-up to $408 a week under the Minimum Family Tax Credit from the IRD.

With the "In Work Tax Credit" of $60 each week plus the Family Tax Credit, she is better off than on a benefit. But only because the Government is giving her a huge wage subsidy through the tax system.

For a few weeks Nikki manages to work the required number of hours. Then the day care centre rings: the 3-year-old has measles and she has to look after him for 10 days at home. Then the 6-year-old breaks her arm at school.

Then Nikki finds she has no one to look after the child in the school holidays. Her own health suffers, and while her employer tries to be understanding she loses her job. The rent falls behind and debts start to mount.

Nikki has to claw her way back on to a jobseeker's benefit, something her "co-ordinator" is reluctant to facilitate. The last straw is when her younger child is admitted to hospital with pneumonia, contributed to by the cold damp housing in which she lives.

Back on a benefit, a few hours a week might be the only paid work that Nikki can manage. Currently earning $100 a week would give her about $82.50 extra net income.

Under the working group's proposals, extra earnings would be abated much more harshly so as to teach her that she should really be in full-time work. Nikki would now get just under $40 a week for her efforts.

The government group would also like to put Nikki on long-term contraception as a condition of getting a benefit, although it pays no regard to the freedom of her ex-partner to continue to have children when he chooses.

In the parallel universe of the Welfare Working Group, all childcare can and should be done by paid caregivers, while the mothers who are deemed solely responsible for producing them must be coerced into work, no matter how inappropriate.

What example are we setting for our children when grown adults allow such punitive policies for young mothers to be taken seriously?

* Donna Wynd is a Child Poverty Action Group researcher; Susan St John is Associate Professor Economics, Auckland Business School.

Our Offensive PM

2011-02-21T03:43:00.000-08:00

So John Key thinks that when beneficiaries need food parcels they are making a ‘lifestyle choice.’ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10707102

In December he was saying “If we cancelled welfare to 330,000 people currently on welfare, how many would starve to death? Bugger all.”
Since the tobacco tax was raised there has been a noticeable increase in smokers picking up buts from the gutters. No doubt JK thinks that a ‘lifestyle choice’, too. And when Mohamed Bouazizi set himself alight in Tunisia and brought about the downfall of a government, no doubt that was a ‘lifestyle choice', too.
Thanks to Bomber Bradbury on his Tumeke blog for this apposite remark on John Key’s callous remarks about beneficiaries:
‘John Key's grossly offensive comments on why the poor need food parcels reminds me of the famous Herman Melville quote:’
"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well housed, well warmed and well fed."
http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
Thanks also to John Minto for a more detailed critique of Key’s gross opinions.
http://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2011/02/john-minto-what-right-has-john-key-to-lecture-the-poor/

Solidarity with Tunisian Unemployed

2011-02-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

The following letter was wriiten in accord with a resolution passed at the Januay meeting of Waitemata Branch:

To the Unemployed of Tunisia

As a branch of Unite union dedicated to organising unemployed workers we have followed the momentous events unfolding in Tunisia with great interest.

On behalf of Waitemata branch I wish to express our profound admiration for the great courage of the Tunisians who at great personal risk have risen against the oppressive regime and against the global capitalist economic order that inflicts such great misery on the masses, and to offer our solidarity in the a struggle that is being emulated now in Egypt and beyond.

We condemn the deadly violence with which the regime sought to repress the uprising, and we condemn its attacks upon the union offices which have become centres of organisation.

We wish to extend our firm solidarity and sympathy to the families of those who have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters to the violence of the state, particularly to the family of Mohamed Bouazizi whose heroic martyrdom will be forever remembered.

Yours fraternally

Hon Secretary

Waitemata Branch

Unite Union

Ten Myths About Welfare

2011-02-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

The politics behind the government’s welfare reform process

by Gordon Campbell

Sometime during the week of February 21, the Welfare Working Group chaired by former Commerce Commission head Paula Rebstock will release its final report on welfare reform in New Zealand. From day one, the exercise has hardly been a wide-ranging or rigorous investigation. The WWG chose to fixate on a symptom (welfare dependency) selected a cause from its ideological kitbag (an alleged lack of personal motivation and of strong incentives to seek work) and shaped its policy recommendations to suit.

A long list of relevant issues have not been part of the WWG agenda. So far, the WWG’s investigations have not involved any substantial analysis of :

http://werewolf.co.nz/2011/02/ten-myths-about-welfare/

Report to UN: Government Fails Child Poverty and Child Health

2011-01-24T00:14:00.001-08:00

Waitemata Unite is skeptical about the ability of the United Nations to save the children of the world-indeed The UN has itself has a poor record with children. It was responsible for about a million children's deaths during the Iraq sanctions; its "peace-keepers" have engaged in rape,trafficking and prostitution of women and children in several countries ; and blue-helmeted UN soldiers are hated and feared by the local populace in Haiti.
Nevertheless the UN declaration on the Rights of the Child is a good benchmark by which to measure the status of the children of Aotearoa. New Zealand is failing badly.

Here is an excellent report from the Child Poverty Action group to the United Nations about the the poverty and health of New Zealand children:

http://www.acya.org.nz/site_resources/library/Documents/Reports_to_UN/CYA_2010/Child_Poverty_Child_Health.pdf

Child Poverty and Child Health
Failing our commitments to children in New Zealand in 2010
by
M. Claire Dale, Susan St John, Innes Asher & Olaf Adam
on behalf of Child Poverty Action Group
Working Paper
July 2010
Published as supporting paper for the ACYA report
to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child

“Children and Youth in Aotearoa 2010”
Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa Incorporated

FAILING OUR COMMITMENTS TO CHILDREN: CHILD
POVERTY AND CHILD HEALTH IN NEW ZEALAND IN 2010
M.Claire Dale, Susan St John, Innes Asher, & Olaf Adam.1
Executive Summary
This working paper is to form part of the report “Children and Youth in Aotearoa 2010” to the United Nations
Committee on the Rights of the Child, prepared by Action for Children and Youth Aotearo Inc. (ACYA).
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) believes that Aotearoa New Zealand fails to meet its commitments under
the convention in a number of areas, in particular income adequacy and health but also education and nondiscrimination.
The underlying issue is increasing income inequality and a consequent high number of children living in
poverty and severe hardship, in poor housing conditions, with limited access to primary health care. Our
research found that children from low income households in New Zealand are multiple times more likely to
suffer from large variety of diseases than their more affluent peers. These inequalities are most evident in
hospital admissions for relatively common diseases such as Rheumatic fever (28 times), Bronchiectasis (15
times), serious skin infection (5 times) and Tuberculosis (5 times).
Whilst these facts are well established. our evidence suggests that health inequalities are increasing rather
than decreasing, breaching Article 6 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the
convention), every child’s inherent right to life. Such inequalities also breach Article 24 of the convention
which grants children the right to “...enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health...”, where health
outcomes of least deprived children serve as benchmark.
Ethnic disparities are similarly evident, which breaches Article 2. States Parties agree to ensure children are
protected against all forms of discrimination, yet Maori and Pasifika children disproportionately suffer higher
hospitalisation rates than New Zealand European/Pakeha.
In 2005, 170,000 New Zealand children lived in families earning less than 50% of the median household
income. New Zealand is outperformed by a number of countries with a much lower GDP per capita, i.e. Czech
Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary and Korea. Widespread child poverty undermines children’s right to an
“adequate standard of living” as per Article 27 of the convention. In 2007 figures 50% of the median income
equates to $355 per week for a single parent, an amount considered insufficient to cover essential living cost.
As a direct result of poverty many children lack basics such as adequate nutrition or warm and dry housing.
New Zealand has the second worst child health and safety record amongst the 25 leading OECD countries as
measured in child deaths caused by infant deaths, immunisation rates and accidental deaths (OECD). These
measures, to a large extent related to poverty, result in a failure to meet Article 5 of the convention.
1 Dr M.Claire Dale, Research Fellow in the Department of Economics, Dr Susan St John, Associate Professor of Economics, and Dr Innes
Asher, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Auckland, are Executive Members of Child Poverty Action Group. Olaf Adam is
a Post Graduate student at the University of Auckland Business School and researcher for Child Poverty Action Group. We thank Dr Mike
O’Brien, Professor of Social Work at Massey University for his helpful critique.
3
CPAG asserts that child poverty in New Zealand is a consequence of political choices and inaction, not an
economic accident. As such, this breaches Article 3 of the convention, and CPAG hold successive governments
responsible for the continuing discrimination against children from low income families.
The current social welfare system is insufficient to provide for an “adequate standard of living” for many
parents, who are unable to provide it themselves and as such New Zealand fails in its responsibilities under
Article 26 and Article 27 of the convention

http://www.acya.org.nz/site_resources/library/Documents/Reports_to_UN/CYA_2010/Child_Poverty_Child_Health.pdf

NZ pretends recognition of the Rights of the Child

2011-01-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Child Poverty Action group has issued a press statement exposing the government's hypocrisy about the Rights of the Child.
A recently released UN report on the Rights of the Child issued a damning assessment New Zealand's record, where twenty per cent of NZ children live in poverty, children's health is worsening, and social inequality is increasing.
Sue Mackwell, Deputy Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development, tried to put a positive spin on this appalling situation, with little success, as the CPAG points out:

http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Media%20releases/2011%20PR%20NZ%20response%20to%20UN%20Committee%20on%20Rights%20of%20Child%20Jan24.pdf

Government Hypocrisy over child abuse

2011-01-23T23:39:00.000-08:00

Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett made a huge deal about a recent child abuse case when it finally came to light and used it to whip up anti-beneficiary sentiment and calls for punitive solutions. Michael Laws followed suit calling for all welfare to be stopped to stop the "ferals" breeding. But in fact the (accused) mother of the child had already written a letter to the Prime Minister appealing for help; as had the child's teacher, who had been trying all year to get something done. The NZEI wants the government to be more accountable.

Inter-generational poverty causes social distress and violence. There were almost no cases like this before the 1980's economic "reforms." A decent society ensures that there is a liveable income for all, and social support for all those in need.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1101/S00065/look-needed-at-government-response-in-auckland-abuse-case.htm

nzherald.co.nz - Union deals sidestep Govt's 90 day law

2011-01-11T22:36:00.001-08:00

Waitemata Unite thought you would be interested in the following item from nzherald.co.nz:

Union deals sidestep Govt's 90 day law

Unions are protecting thousands of new workers from the Government's 90-day trial period law by negotiating collective contracts that exempt them from it. But a battle looms in the public sector, where ... More

Visit nzherald.co.nz throughout the day for the latest breaking news.

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91 Day Benefit Stand Down after 90 Day Employment?

2011-01-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

We have been informed that WINZ has stated that it is their policy to give 91 Day Benefit Stand Downs to anyone who lost their job after being employed under a 90 Day Law.

This defies all natural justice, since the employer can sack anyone for no reason whatsoever.

However from the "Questions for Written Answer" in parliament last October, the Minister for Social Welfare, Paula Bennett, appears to be saying that this policy is wrong. In fact, it has to be proved that the worker who lost their job was guilty of "misconduct."

WINZ could possibly be denying thousands of people income that they are legally entitled to and need to survive.

8 OCT 2010

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/5/5/e/QWA_33437_2010-33437-2010-Catherine-Delahunty-to-the-Minister-for.htm

33437 (2010). Catherine Delahunty to the Minister for Social Development and Employment (08 Oct 2010): Have Work and Income staff have been instructed to assess applicants for the unemployment benefit who have lost their jobs under the 90 day law the same way as for any other employment arrangement, including whether or not they should be stood down?

Hon Paula Bennett (Minister for Social Development and Employment) replied: The information requested is available at the Work and Income websitewww.workandincome.govt.nz. This is also my response to written parliamentary questions 33438 and 33439 (2010).

* * *

1 DEC 2010

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/3/4/d/QWA_36825_2010-36825-2010-Catherine-Delahunty-to-the-Minister-for.htm

36825 (2010). Catherine Delahunty to the Minister for Social Development and Employment (01 Dec 2010): Can she confirm that a correct interpretation of the guidelines published on www.workandincome.govt.nz and referred to in her answer to written question 33437 (2010) is that a Work and Income client subject to a non-entitlement period from a work tested benefit under section 60H of the Social Security Act 1964 because they were fired under the 90 day trial provision and Work and Income Staff deem them to have been fired for reasons of misconduct cannot summons the employer to a Benefits Review Committee hearing.

Hon Paula Bennett (Minister for Social Development and Employment) replied: A Benefits Review Committee (BRC) is an administrative body which does not have the powers of a Court to summon witnesses. The Ministry however does have investigative powers and the investigation may include asking questions and seeking information the from an ex-employer. The Benefit Review Committee considers all the relevant information submitted from both parties in reviewing the decision.

* * *

1 DEC 2010

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/7/f/6/QWA_36822_2010-36822-2010-Catherine-Delahunty-to-the-Minister-for.htm

36822 (2010). Catherine Delahunty to the Minister for Social Development and Employment (01 Dec 2010): Can she confirm that a correct interpretation of the guidelines published on www.workandincome.govt.nz and referred to in her answer to written question 33437 (2010) is that Work and Income staff assess applicants for a work tested benefit who have lost their jobs under the 90 day trial provision the same way as for any other employment arrangement, including whether or not they receive a non-entitlement period under section 60H of the Social Security Act 1964?

Hon Paula Bennett (Minister for Social Development and Employment) replied: Work and Income staff treat any application for Unemployment Benefit in the same way, whether a client is applying because of a dismissal under the 90 day employment trial or not. A voluntary unemployment stand-down can be considered where there is evidence of misconduct. However, the only difference under the 90 day employment trial, is if an employer alleges misconduct but does not provide proof, and the employee disputes the allegation, then a voluntary unemployment stand-down should not be considered. This reflects the fact that the employee does not have the right to take a personal grievance against the employer or challenge the dismissal in court with some exceptions, where a 90 day employment trial is operating. This is also my response for written parliamentary questions 36823 and 36824 (2010)..

What Work Counts

2011-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

What Work Counts. Document published by the Child Poverty Action Group critiquing the work-focused welfare policies of both the Labour and National Governments.

http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/CPAG%20What%20Work%20Counts

Hateful Speech Prepares Way for Welfare Cuts

2011-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

Michael Laws calls beneficiaries "ferals", "disproportionately Maori", implies that sole parents are by definition incapable, and advocates sterilisation to stop us "breeding", taking children from their parents, (stolen generation anyone?), abolishing all welfare, state housing, legal aid, to solve the social problems caused by poverty, colonisation, unemployment and the right wing economic reforms.

Here is some of his poisonous hate filled abuse:

"The irony though is that it is state policy to encourage ferals to multiply. First, we keep their children within their family/whanau. We even legislate that this is the appropriate setting even if the parent – because they are usually sole – is unable to parent properly. Secondly, we provide the welfare system to deliver the subsistence they need not to work but to drink, drug and procreate. In fact, again, we provide the incentive. Have a child and have an income – state guaranteed. And that's a viable option if you left school at 15 with no qualifications and no show of ever getting any. Thirdly, we provide a state house, and, if they get in trouble with the law, state-funded legal aid.

This is racist sexist hate speech . He treats us as less than animals, with less rights to life. Rather than valuing all human life he wants to eradicate us. Rather than appreciating the work and contribution that single mothers make, raising the next generation; he would rather starve us out, and take our children off us. What exactly is the difference between the views of Laws and those of a nazi , a fascist, or an ethnic cleanser?

The climate being created by Michael Laws, the Business Round table- influenced Welfare Razor Gang , and Prime Minister John Key (who can flippantly gamble on whether cutting benefits would cause mass starvation or not) , one of hatred and disregard for the fundamental human rights of 338,000 New Zealanders- is setting the scene for massive cuts in benefits in the following term, if National gets in again; to pay for their tax cuts for the rich and any fallout from the international bankers' crisis.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/4522948/Michael-Laws-Weak-lawmakers-loading-guns-for-fearsome-ferals

Why beneficiaries should fear the right wing

2011-01-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

from Tumeke:

http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-beneficiaries-should-fear-right.html

Remember how rising GST so the rich could get a tax cut was supposed to 'turbo charge' the economy? Those were Bill English's words, apparently those words don't matter, because alongside lying about rising GST and claiming that if he cut the benefit to all 330 000 beneficiaries that bugger all would die, those words don't matter because according to a poll, we all 'like' John Key, so policy doesn't matter.

Words matter, and the words English used were 'turbo charge'. Sadly it seems borrowing for tax cuts doesn't help our savings and because of the higher GST, the tax take diminished and we are left with a$2 billion deficit that Bill English intends to make up by making massive cuts into welfare .

Let's make this clear to the 338 000 beneficiaries in NZ who at those numbers represent 14% of the 2008 electorate, if National get into power in 2011, they will destroy the Welfare State and leave you all to rot.

The ideologically stacked Welfare Razor Gang Paula Bennet concocted to do her dirty work are preparing for their blood letting.

Other than Islamaphobic fiction writers who connect intelligence to wealth and advocate corporations run social welfare, who is on this Welfare razor gang?

Surprise, surprise - the former president of ACT, Catherine Isaac. A day after the Welfare Working Group first met on April 30th, Roger Kerr, the Executive Director of the Business Roundtable published an opinion piece in the Dominion Post claiming unemployment is a political choice, as in the poor choose to be poor.

Roger rages against the welfare machine by claiming if only we dumped the minimum youth wage and weaken unions, then employers like him would hire and Ayn Rand would come back from the grave with Adam Smith and they will lay the foundations of a pure free market city state (with a weirdly overt militaristic Police force).

The kicker is, Roger Kerr is married to Catherine Isaac, he’s writing hard right send-the-kids-down-the-mine-to-work-social-policy the day after his wife’s first meeting for the Welfare Working Group.

And what about Adrian Roberts and Enid Ratahi Pryor who are current corporate welfare contractors to the Government, what possible advice are they going to give beyond 'more corporate contracts in social welfare'??? It's like having Pig Farmers set the legal welfare conditions for their pigs!

Take the ideologically stacked Welfare Razor gangs views, combine them with English's comments on making the $2billion deficit up from his failed turbo-charged-GST-tax-rise-to-fund-a-tax-cut-for-the-rich in cuts to welfare alongside Key's own comment that no one would starve if he slashed all the benefits and they all add up to growing realization that societies most vulnerable are about to get the bash.

If that doesn't frighten beneficiaries, Cactus Kate should, in her most racist casual fascist way, she spells out that Maori solo mothers (she calls them 'breeders') should be either paid not to breed or sterilized, here's Kate at her most ugly...

http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-beneficiaries-should-fear-right.html

Kate is considered a leading light by the right wing blogosphere and her venomous anonymous posters lick up her social pus as if it is mana from heaven. Beneficiaries should read the pure hatred of these racist rednecks and understand that people like Kate and her leeches represent the real mentality of the right towards those less well off.

I find it the most disgusting of ethical molestations that the weakest and most vulnerable in society are being asked to do with less because the global economy was crashed by the greedy and corrupt, yet that is exactly what the ideologically stacked Welfare Razor Gang are proposing with their despicable bennie bashing attack on the welfare state.

If you are not angry, you haven't been paying attention. A new left conference is being planned for February.

full article at:

http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-beneficiaries-should-fear-right.html

Lively Protest for Beneficiary Rights at Waitakere WINZ,.

2010-12-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here's the Indymedia article about our protest:

http://www.indymedia.org.nz/article/79215/lively-protest-beneficiary-rights-waitak

International Disability Day,Dec 3,Waitakere WINZ

2010-12-09T08:19:00.001-08:00

Pictures from our Protest Dec 3rd

2010-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Protest at Waitakere WINZ

2010-12-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Protest at Waitakere WINZ

2010-12-09T07:36:00.001-08:00

On Friday 3rd December, International Disability Day, 60 friends and members of Unite Waitemata Branch and Auckland Action Against Poverty, gathered outside Waitakere WINZ in Henderson to protest the increasing attacks upon beneficiaries by the National/Act Government and the Welfare Working Group, especially the attacks upon the disabled , many of whom have lost $50 per week off their incomes and are expected to be available for work, which is what the Welfare Working group has in mind for nearly all beneficiaries including mothers of babies.

It was a very lively demonstration: with those present including representatives from the Auckland Women's Centre, anarchists, the Green Party, and people with disabilities and those working in the disability sector, workers, students , beneficiaries, mothers grandmothers and pensioners, the National Distribution Union, Socialist Aotearoa and the Unite union.

After the protest, Waitemata Unite members talked to a large number of WINZ clients who were very interested in the protest and in what our union can do for beneficiaries. Some joined up on the spot and others have expressed interest in keeping in touch with us.

Raise All Benefits Now!!!

2010-12-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

Call for 50 per cent rise in benefits

By Simon Collins

5:30 AM Thursday Dec 9, 2010

nzh

poll

12000–12050 votes

Is a benefit of $194 a week enough for a single adult to live on?

Yes (34%)
No (66%)

Call for 50 per cent rise in benefits

An alternative welfare review group will call today for raising welfare benefits by as much as 50 per cent to meet the basic needs of jobless families.

The alternative group, chaired by Massey University social policy expert Mike O'Brien and including former Green MP Sue Bradford, says current benefits of $194 a week for a single adult or $366 for a sole parent with one child are "simply too low to live on".

It calls for restoring benefits "as a first step" to the proportion of the average wage that applied before they were cut by up to $27 a week in 1991. That would mean raising the single dole by 53 per cent to about $296 a week and lifting the benefit for a sole parent with one child to about $536 a week.

Its proposals challenge a Government-appointed welfare working group chaired by economist Paula Rebstock, which has proposed options of cutting benefit rates after one year or five years as a signal that benefits should only be temporary.

Ms Rebstock said yesterday that the alternative group's 163-page report would be considered with other submissions on her report. Submissions close on Christmas Eve.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10693066

Australia-StandUp : Privatised Welfare.

2010-11-30T05:21:00.000-08:00

StandUp is an organisation for unemployed in Sydney. This report shows what can happen when employment services are contracted out to private providers-something the Welfare Working Group wants to happen here.

Xmas. No joy for us

Christmas is supposed to be the festive season when everyone eats, drinks and parties. The problem is that we can’t afford to. It is difficult enough for us to survive on what we get, let alone have a party. Some of us will be doing work for the dole. You don’t work for the dole on public holidays but apart from Christmas , Boxing and New Years Day many work for the dole schemes continue over what’s called the holiday period. You don’t really get a holiday on the dole. It is tough on us. It is tough on children who expect presents and don’t understand why Santa comes to their friends and not to their place. It is hard to survive with the little money we get. It is even harder to have fun! StandUp! believes that everyone deserves a living wage. The government believes in unemployment. They say that even with their “economic responsibility” the rate of unemployment will only drop to 4.5%. Currently it is five percent. That will still mean hundreds of thousands out of work.

Standup believes we will need a wage rise. Thanks to our low pay it is a struggle to pay the bills or the rent. For some it’s a struggle to get enough to eat. Of course, you can’t afford a decent Christmas! At the moment we suffer in silence. The fact is that neither of the major parties believe in giving us an adequate allowance. In no way will there be full employment. StandUp! believes that others will listen when we have a strong fighting organisation. We need to take up issues such as breaching, private job network agencies, “mutual obligation” and work for the dole. We need alies but it is when we stand up for ourselves then others will listen. We ask for your support. The more assistance we get the better we can fight. Tell us of your experiences.

StandUp wishes you all the best for the festive season and the new Year.

Contact Standup! phone 95164486 e-mail standup_@hotmail.com

You are welcome to participate!

Dodgy Job network agency

On Illawarra Rd near the corner of Marrickville Rd Marrickville you will see a door to Workfutures which is full of unopened mail. There is a notice telling you that the entrance is around the corner , in a laneway. Well if you go around the knock vigorously on their highly secure door, usually you won’t get a response.

We thought this was one of the failed job network agencies. Well there are many of these. But , one day, someone told us he had an appointment there. He knocked on the door and got no-one. He went around the side and got no-one also. He was on time for the appointment he was supposed to go to.

Getting no answer, he went to Centre Link as he was concerned about the possibility of being penalised for missing an appointment. They believed him and rang the co-ordinator’s mobile and only got an answering machine.

We do not know how a dodgy operation like this is recognised. It certainly shouldn’t be.

The owner provided little evidence that he is providing service to the unemployed. Meanwhile he is taking tax payers money.

If this institution is ever open, it certainly is not open enough for any unemployed person to utilise its services adequately. We think they should be scrapped as a job network agency.

We should have the right to adequate access to our job network agency. They control when they are open and when we have access. We know of someone else who complains that her agency doesn’t allow her in for long enough for her to adequately look for work. This is wrong!

Many private job network agencies work hard for their clients. We think though many are just ripping off public money. We oppose private job network agencies totally!

The End of the Block

For decades Aboriginal people have enjoyed cheap accommodation in the part of Redfern known as The Block Apart from providing affordable housing. The Block has been a community centre and a symbol of black pride. Unfortunately the block has suffered from poverty, unemployment, violence, drugs and alcohol. The Block is not alone. Many communities Black and white have been ravaged with these problems. The Block has been visible though and this has meant much pressure to “deal with the problems”. For many “dealing with problems’ means eviction

The value of the land is immense. Developers stand to make millions if land is sold on the open market.

StandUp! Is critical of the fact that houses have been run down and become derelict. There has been mass eviction by stealth as houses become unliveable. Now there are only fourteen houses left.

We think that those remaining should have the right to remain there if they want to. We think it is the responsibility of landlord Aboriginal housing company to make these houses habitable.

More criticisms of WWG report

2010-11-30T03:53:00.001-08:00

Tapu Misa says the Welfare Working Group Report is a waste of money:

On the one hand, it says things like: "Most people on the unemployment benefit are motivated to find paid work." "Sole parents face extra challenges in undertaking [parenting] roles alone."

On the other hand, it goes on about "benefit dependency " and with nearly 7% unemployment, Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett has the nerve to talk about a "a lifestyle choice".

Mike O' Brian professor of social policy at Massey University says the obvious that:"the critical consideration is the availability of work and the personal and social supports surrounding that, not the alleged behaviour and lack of motivation of beneficiaries." Around 2007, When jobs were available before the latest capitalist crash, numbers on the unemployment benefit had dwindled to tiny amounts. In other words, "benefit dependency" is a myth.

O'Brien notes that not only are some dependents more politically acceptable than others - the more than 257,000 getting tax credits under Working for Families, for example,(which is denied to single parents on benefits even if they are also working) or the superannuitants who make up our largest and most expensive beneficiary group - but that "dependence" has overtaken "poverty" as the greater evil to be avoided.

Tapu Misa: "Well, of course. Dependence is the beneficiary's problem; poverty might imply responsibility on the part of the state."

In some kind of twisted logic, the WWG report seems to think that the poverty of people on a benefit is not caused by lack of money; but by by getting any money at all!

The obvious way to eliminate poverty is to raise all benefits immediately to liveable levels and to create real jobs for all who need them. ( Labour didn't do this when it was in power, and is not even whispering about doing such a thing now.)

But that would not leave starving people competing desperately on an over-crowded labour market labour enabling employers to pay sub poverty wages in appalling work conditions and make super profits.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10690690

The Words of the Enemy

2010-11-30T02:18:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to the Welfare Working Group's November Options Paper:

Submissions are due by December 24th, right before Christmas, which won't be much fun for most beneficiaries!

http://ips.ac.nz/WelfareWorkingGroup/Index.html

or:
http://ips.ac.nz/WelfareWorkingGroup/Downloads/Options%20Paper/Welfare-Working-Group-Reducing-Long-Term-Benefit-Dependency-The-Options.pdf

Unite Constitutional changes 2009

2010-11-30T01:51:00.000-08:00

The original Constitution of Unite was in force for eleven years from 1998 to 2009 with some minor minor modifications. In September 2009 the AGM voted to change and simplify some of the rules. The purpose of Unite to be a community union to recruit and organise both employed, unemployed and beneficiaries remained.

The rules of Unite Incorporated As amended by the 2009 Unite AGM
1. Name:
1.1. The name of the Incorporated Society shall be Unite. For the purposes of these Rules referred to as
"the Union".
2. Purposes
2.1. Unite is a community based union formed:
a) to protect and further the interests of members and working people as a whole by carrying out
any policy decided in accordance with these Rules.
b) to recruit and organise workers, including marginal labour, unemployed and beneficiaries.
c) to secure the best possible working conditions for members of the Union by promoting
members' collective employment interests
d) to secure the best standard of living for members, other workers , their families and
communities.
e) to assist any other union, federation, movement or organisation for the betterment of the
working conditions, remuneration and/or welfare of its members or working people as a whole.
f) to affiliate to any other union, federation, movement or organisation for the furtherance of the
objects of the Union.
g) to prudently invest any surplus funds of the Union to increase the resources available for use as
specified in parts (a) to (e) of this Rule.
h) to uphold the principles of the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi including that of tino
rangatiratanga in all its work.
3. Ordinary Membership:
3.1. Ordinary membership of the Union is open to any person who supports the purposes of the union.
For the full constitution see:

http://www.unite.org.nz/download_files/Unite_Rules_Sept_2009.pdf

Unite Original Constitution 1998

2010-11-30T01:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 19, 2008
Unite Union Constitution 1998
THE RULES OF UNITE INCORPORATED

1. Name

The name of the Incorporated Society shall be UNITE.
For the purposed of these Rules referred to as "the union".

2. UNITE is a community based union formed to:

(a) to protect and further the interests of members and
working people as a whole by carrying out any policy decided
in accordance of these Rules.

(b) to recruit and organise unorganised workers including
marginal labour, unemployed and beneficiaries.

(c) to secure the best possible working conditions for members
of the Union.

(d) to secure the best standard of living for members
and others unable to be part of the paid work force
due to unemployment, illness, disability, accident,
study or family responsibilities.

(e) to assist any other union, federation, movement or
organisation for the betterment of the working conditions,
remuneration and/or welfare of its members or working
people as a whole.

(f) to affiliate to any other union, federation, movement or
organsiation for the furtherance of the objects of the Union.

(g) to prudently invest any surplus funds of the Union to
increase the resources available for use as specified in
parts (a) to (d) of this Rule.

(h) to uphold the principles of the Maori version of the Treaty
of Waitangi including that of tino rangatiratanga in all its work.

3. Membership:

(a) Membership of the Union is open to any worker whether
employed, self employed or unemployed; casual or part-time;
forced or slave labour (including prisons and workfare),
sufferingfrom illness, accident or disability; caring for
family members; or in unpaid or voluntary work.

(b) Any person described in 3 (a) may become a member on
making an application on the appropriate form to the Secretary or
her/his representative.

See the rest at: http://unzconst.blogspot.com/

Alternative Welfare Working Group Report

2010-11-26T02:06:00.000-08:00

The Alternative Welfare Working Group has published its report. You can download the full report from http://welfarejustice.org.nz/

http://welfarejustice.org.nz/dox/WELFARE%20JUSTICE%20IN%20NEW%20ZEALAND%20What%20we%20heard.pdf

Welfare Working Group Distortions

2010-11-26T01:58:00.000-08:00

On the Welfare Working Group’s latest round of welfare bashing

November 26th, 2010

Well, in its Options report this week, at least the Cabinet-appointed Welfare Working Group was clear about whose interests it is there to serve: ‘The evidence on what is effective in helping beneficiaries into paid work is clear – effective interventions need to have a focus on employers and their needs.’ That would be fair enough if the focus on ‘employers and their needs’ actually meant a recognition that you can’t kick people off welfare without there being jobs for them to fill. But no, it doesn’t mean that at all. In fact, the WWG brushes that unfortunate reality aside in this bizarre paragraph :

Many submissions, while acknowledging the importance of paid work, expressed anxiety about the availability of jobs for people looking for paid work. On the other hand, many employers have told us of the difficulties they have had in recruiting people into entry-level jobs. While this problem was less pronounced during the recession, they indicate it is once again emerging.

So…. the overall lack of jobs in the current economy for the 338,000 people of working age on benefits is brushed aside with the non sequitur that some employers have been having problems in the past in finding people to fill some ‘entry-level’ jobs. Not recently mind you – but since the WWG believes that the recession and its impacts on employment are now allegedly over, this ‘problem’ about entry level jobs is now re-emerging. Really? The job market is picking up and people are turning down the jobs readily available to them? That’s a country I’d like to visit. But in the country that most New Zealanders inhabit, the job market hasn’t picked up, the recession’s impact on employment is ongoing, and – to take just a couple of examples during 2010 – public service restructuring in Wellington and local body restructuring in Auckland have been pushing people out of work, and onto an already crowded job market. Not that you’d know it from the WGG report.

The WWG has a core problem in selling the notion of a welfare system in crisis, and a nation lacking the motivation to work. Reality check: when work was available in the 2000s and job searches were being case managed, unemployment sank to record lows with fewer than 20,000 on the dole. Conclusion: when jobs are there, people work: and when they aren’t, they can’t. It’s not as if a motivational crisis has suddenly engulfed the country in the last two years, when none existed before the recession.

Not that the WWG seems interested in an honest evaluation of the statistics on employment anyway, and the academics on this panel should be ashamed at putting their names to the distortions used to support the report’s ideological bias. The panel is happy for instance, to trumpet a headline rate of 338,000 people of working age on benefits. Over at The Standard, there is an excellent unpicking of the ingredients of that figure: 85,000 have severe mental or physical disabilities. 58,000 have been documented by medical professinals as sick, 112,000 are raising children alone, and 65,000 are actively looking for work. As The Standard concludes :

In fact, when there were jobs for nearly everyone there were just 1,700 long-term unemployed who had been on the dole for over 4 years. If there are any bludgers they are a subset of those 1,700. Hardly worth turning the lives of 338,000 people and their families upside down over.
more:

http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2010/11/26/gordon-campbell-on-the-welfare-working-group/

Dangers of Paula Rebstock's Options Paper

2010-11-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

http://pundit.co.nz/content/subtle-dangers-in-paula-rebstocks-sugar-coated-poison

2010-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Protest Henderson WINZ, Friday 3rd December

2010-11-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Stand up for Beneficiaries’ Rights!

Protest on International Disability Day, Friday 3^rd December, 1pm, Waitakere WINZ, 36 Sel Peacock Drive, Henderson, Just up from West Wave Pool.

The National Government has been steadily taking people with disabilities off invalids’ benefits, cutting their incomes by $50 per week and forcing them to be available for work. The Welfare Working Group is now suggesting that nearly all beneficiaries, including the sick, disabled and those with children as young as one should be work tested. At the same time the government has just passed the 90 Day Act. Beneficiaries can now be forced to take any job then face a 91 day benefit stand down when they are fired for no reason. The Welfare Working Group would also like benefits to be stopped in one to five years, and to contract out WINZ services to private companies! Workers and Beneficiaries! We must stop this two pronged assault upon our class!

Organised by:

Waitemata Unite with Auckland Action Against Poverty

http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com 021 2166937

keithhenderson66@gmail.com, 8369104 (Waitemata Unite)

cafecalias@xtra.co.nz (Auckland Action Against Poverty)

Issued by Waitemata Unite

Fighting Poverty and Beneficiary Bashing Saturday

2010-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Come to the workshop:Fighting Poverty and Beneficiary Bashing at the Conference this Saturday 27th November at the Unite hosted Conference: "Another Aotearoa is Possible" at 15 Canning Cres Mangere, and discuss ways beneficiaries and workers can unite for a living income for all, workshop presented by Waitemata Unite.

http://gpjanz.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/356-sat-nov-27-%E2%80%9Cstand-up-fight-back-another-aotearoa-is-possible%E2%80%9D-unite-sponsored-day-of-dialogue-with-activists-against-injustice-and-inequality/

WWG and 90 Act Attack Beneficiaries and Workers

2010-11-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Working Welfare Group issued its Options Paper today with suggestions for horrrific cuts to beneficiaries' welfare and incomes. They want to force all but 20,000 out of 144,000 single parents, sick and disabled to be available for work and do not bulk at sending mothers with babies as young as one year old out to (unavailable of course) work. They threaten to cut benefits altogether in one year with only a hardship allowance, or at the latest, five years! And they propose contracting out what should be the government's welfare work to private contractors! And this is almost the same day as they pushed through their 90 Day Act that means that sick and disabled beneficiaries and those with babies, can be forced into any work at all under threat of losing their benefits- including having to accept 90 Day Fire at Will Contracts where they can be sacked at any time for no reason at the employers' whim (for example for making a complaint about sexual harrassment or joining a union)-and then face another 91 Days Benefit Stand Down with no income at all as a punsihment for being sacked!!

These gross abuses of beneficiaries and workers' human rights have to be stopped!

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10689939

Radical Changes to Social Welfare System

2010-11-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

Excellent article from the world socialist website about what the Government was doing earlier this year:

New Zealand government attacks beneficiaries

By Tom Peters
12 July 2010

New Zealand’s conservative National government is preparing radical changes to the social welfare system, designed to cut costs by restricting access to benefits for tens of thousands of people. The government, like those in Europe and elsewhere, has launched a policy of austerity to reduce its sovereign debt in line with the demands of international investors. This entails imposing the cost of the global economic crisis on the poorest and most vulnerable people in society.

Legislation due to be passed later this year will introduce mandatory work-testing for sickness beneficiaries and force single parent beneficiaries to look for work once their youngest child turns six. Social development minister Paula Bennett said the new laws would apply to 43,000 single parents, while 9,000 sickness beneficiaries had already been found fit for work and would be expected “to do what they can to support themselves”. The Social Assistance (Future Focus) Bill will also require people on unemployment benefits to undergo a “comprehensive work test” every 12 months. Those unable to prove they have been looking for work will face sanctions, including having their benefits halved or cut off entirely.

Despite its rhetoric about an “unrelenting focus on work,” the government has no intention of funding new jobs to replace those destroyed by the economic crisis. Instead, its new policy seeks to harass and hound people off welfare and into total destitution or reliance on family networks and private charities.

The new laws will further restrict access to emergency hardship payments for food, power bills and other basic needs. Bennett railed against welfare recipients, telling a press conference that “too many people view welfare not as a last option but as a way of life”. She called for “a shift from a mentality of entitlement to one of self-responsibility”.

In a cabinet paper, Bennett said the government would carry out “a stricter application of the eligibility rules for hardship assistance”. Desperate beneficiaries who receive three or more hardship payments in a 12-month period will be forced to “complete compulsory budgeting activities”. They will be denied further assistance if they cannot “demonstrate that they have done something of their own initiative to improve their situation”. Bennett told the media: “Last year the government paid out over $250 million in hardship payments and that, frankly, is unsustainable”. Provocatively, and without giving any evidence, she accused beneficiaries of attempting to “milk the system”.

In fact, the high number of hardship payments—over one million payments were granted by Work and Income in 2009—is a measure of the devastating impact of job cuts and rising prices since the onset of the recession and demonstrates that benefit levels are grossly inadequate. As of March, 324,814 people—close to one in eight of the working-age population—were reliant on poverty-level welfare payments, which amount to a maximum of just $194 a week for adult unemployment and sickness beneficiaries and $278 for single parents. For 18 to 19-year-olds living at home, the rate is only $129.

While official unemployment fell in the first quarter of 2010, from 7.1 percent to 6 percent, it remains well above the 3.5 percent level in 2007. Food prices have risen by about 8 percent in the past two years. The food parcels and emergency assistance given out by the Auckland City Mission increased by 50 percent last year.

The government is taking steps to shift people from the invalid’s benefit, which pays $242 a week, onto the sickness benefit, which pays $194. From September, Work and Income case managers and designated doctors will “vigorously” assess applicants for the invalid’s benefit—many of them people with mental health problems or serious disabilities—to determine if they are capable of part-time work.

Paul Blair, a beneficiary advocate from the Rotorua People’s Advocacy Centre, told the New Zealand Herald in April that there was already “a nationwide campaign to kick [people] off the invalid’s benefit”. Blair said Work and Income regional health advisers were ringing doctors and “cross-examining” them about whether their patients were really incapable of working 15 hours a week.

More attacks are being prepared. In April, Bennett appointed a Welfare Working Group (WWG) to address “long-term welfare dependence and to look for ways to turn around the growth in beneficiary numbers and expenditure”. Bennett told parliament on June 15 that the Group would look at recent welfare restructures in Ireland, Australia and the UK. She praised the UK government’s new “welfare-to-work” programme, which will strip the unemployed off benefits if they refuse to take a job offer and use “tougher” medical tests to drive the sick and disabled off benefits.

A WWG forum held on June 9-10 also discussed proposals such as time-limited benefits, as in the United States, and a worker-funded unemployment insurance scheme. The WWG will report to the government in December.

The Maori Party and Whanau Ora

Another element of the government’s assault is the Whanau Ora (“family well-being”) policy devised by the Maori Party. Following the 2008 election, the Maori Party entered into a “confidence and supply” agreement to support the National government on key policy issues. In return, National is backing policies designed to benefit the thin layer of Maori elites that the Maori Party represents.

Single Parents and Suicide; Presentation

2010-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Many single parents face depression and other mental and physical health issues directly resulting from the stress they are under. Loneliness, social exclusion, poverty, and denigration take their toll. This can even lead to suicide in extreme cases.

Single Parents Trust has organised a presentation in South Auckland, aimed at raising awareness and helping to to prevent suicides in single parent families.

Venue: Papakura Senior Citizens Hall, 8 East Street, Papakura – see MAP HERE

Cost: Gold coin donation for the petrol cost of speakers (only if you can afford it)

We are very grateful to ‘The Geeks’ and our 4 lovely speakers for giving their time and sharing their knowledge. If you could bring a plate to share with the group like a packet of biscuits or a home made cake, crackers, cheese, dip or chips, we’d really appreciate it. I’m sure you are going to gain a lot from this.

For enquiries contact: Email: info@singleparents.org.nz or phone: Julie Whitehouse, on (09) 813 9138

http://singleparents.org.nz/2010/11/07/suicide-prevention-presentation/

"Safety Net" to be Replaced by Forced Labour, Prostitution?

2010-11-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

In the UK the government has announced plans to force beneficiaries to do manual labour in order to get their dole. This is of course supposed to be "good" for them, helping them to develop "work habits" when it is really slave labour. It's another wing in the government's strategy to make make the people pay for the bankers' crisis by instituting extreme cuts in public spending.

In New Zealand, as the PPTA points out, the government spends $1.6 billion to bail out South Canterbury Finance investors, $35 million on private schools, $30 million + on Warner Brothers, $9.8 million+ on Rugby's Party Central, but says it can't afford to pay for public education.

It also says it can't afford to maintain benefits at the current level which have been estimated at somewhere between $2.8 billion per year to a maximum of about $6 billion per year projected into the future.

The Welfare Working Group headed by Paula Rebstock and the Centre for Social Research and Evaluation on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development , are crowing on about costs of $5o billion , or $28billion to $32 billion but they really mean the cost over a ten year period.

(See the Sunday Star Times article by Lois Cairns on 7th November "Benefit no longer a safety net" by Lois Cairns)

Paula Rebstock (in a misleading quote even more misleadingly highlighted by the Sunday Star Times) says:"It is likely people who are on the benefit today will cost the community $50b instead of the $6b we think of."

This is a deliberate attempt to mislead and alarm the public.

The yearly cost would not be $50 billion but $5 billion which is normal.

If we were not subject to the irrational swings of capitalist crises and instead had real jobs for all , the amount needed for "unemployment " would be zero because there would not be any. People who need and are entitled to long- term support should and would get it. This includes single parents , the sick , and those with disabilities.

Paula Rebstock et al have no proposals to end the capitalist system which is now causing long term unemployment for some sections of society. However they believe that welfare should only be a very temporary "safety net" and want us to believe that we have a social problem when mothers and the disabled are on it for a long time, and talk in alarm about the "safety net" being transformed into "long term dependency."

Instead the opposite is happening, and the safety net is being rapidly pulled away. Especially if they have their way.

In France, men are starting to offer trades, tutoring, and other services for sex advertised as "hugs". Job Centres in the UK have included brothels on their books, until protest has made some centres take these ads down.

Is this what is coming to New Zealand? State support for only a few weeks, forced labour work- for- the- dole schemes, and prostitution in order to survive? The end of the safety net indeed.

http://intensiveactivity.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/unemployed-to-be-sentenced-to-unpaid-work/

UK: Single Parents, Housing Benefits Cut

2010-10-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

The Welfare Working Group in Wellington is looking at the UK, US, Australian and Canadian models of welfare, so we should beware. Here's what they are doing in the UK:

Women Pay: Female single parents pay the most for the male bankers'crisis http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/25/view-from-a-broad-single-parents

Economic Cleansing:

Benefits cut, rents up: this is Britain's housing time bomb

A final solution for the poor – send them to distant dumping grounds where there are no jobs http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/25/benefits-cut-rents-up-housing-time-bomb

UK Cuts rely on women replacing welfare

2010-10-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Attacks on our living conditions continue unabated worldwide as governments try to make us pay for the capitalist crisis. In the UK the ConDem Government has introduced extremely savage cuts including axing half a million public sector jobs, cutting benefits and ending the universal child benefit. Selma James from the Global Women's Strike says that this will leave women's unpaid work to take up the tab.

She says that after World War Two "millions demanded socialism- and the welfare state was what we got." This has been eroded by successive governments including Thatcherism ("there is no such thing as society") in the eighties (think-Rogernomics, NZ); and welfare reform legislation in recent times (beware "welfare reform" in NZ).

She argues for a society where the work of caring for children and others is given the support and importance it deserves and calls for us to get active in a strong fight back. .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/21/spending-review-taxandspending

The Tory 'big society' relies on women replacing welfare

Families with children will bear the brunt of privatisation and cuts – leaving carers with more unwaged work than ever

Thursday 21 October 2010 20.35 BST

President's Report-Summary

2010-10-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

Summary of the President's report to the Waitemata Unite AGM 16th October 2010

New enrolment form designed together with Unite HQ; and fee increase.

Our branch has been in negotiations with Unite HQ over the past year about formalising our membership and fee payment arrrangements. We agreed to pay the increased fee of $2.00 per week as soon as a collaboratively designed new membership form was available and arrangements were completed for the fee to be efficiently transferred from our branch to HQ, and back again to our branch for our union work. We also decided to send a remit to the Unite National Conference asking for fees for beneficiaries to be reduced; and to do fund- raising to help active members who can’t afford the $2.00. These arrangements are now nearly complete.

Delegate and Remits at Unite National Conference 25, 26 November 2010 This year we have been allocated a place for one delegate at the national conference, who we need to choose today.

Picketting Paula Bennett.

We held a well attended picket outside Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s office in March after the announcement of benefit cuts. This was the first time that we used Facebook and wrote on friendly blog sites like Socialist Aotearoa to advertise an action. This picket got a lot of publicity including on national radio, with a plug from Matt Mccarten, Unite Secretary, and support from Joe Carolan from Unite and Socialist Aotearoa. We printed a number of placards at Unite HQ. Joe and some of the Unite Living Wage crew turned up to support the picket and a wide number of people from the left. I took a number of photos of the picket, which I also displayed on facebook and also on our blog.

On Mayday we went to Piha to picket Paula Bennett at a public meeting, but it turned out to be a fairly low key event as it was only a clinic.

IN August we attended a public meeting with Paula Bennett at the Fickling Centre in Mt Roskill where she met considerable challenge from ourselves and others in the audience.

Other May Day events

After the Piha protest, we came back into town and attended several protests including the Mining protest, the Palestine Rally, the combined unions Mayday rally, and some of us attended the Unite May Day social in the evening.

Search and Surveillance Protest-several Unite Waitemata members attended this march earlier in the year.

90 Day Protests

Several of our members were out in force at the 90 Day protest outside the National Party conference at Sky City and have been active on this issue since including attending a public meeting at the university, and two of us have attended meetings of the Auckland Solidarity Network which-together with Unite- helped organise a very successful picket gainst an employer who sacked an employee under the legislation. Waitemata Unite is preparing to attend the 90 Day rally on 20 October called by the unions.

The 90 Day issue is crucial for beneficiaries who could be forced by WINZ to sign employment contracts using the 90 day legislation, and then could face a 91 day benefit stand down if sacked for no reason under the 90 Day law.

Unite Protests and Pickets

Our members have been very active in support of the Unite $15 per hour campaign and the JB Hi Fi pickets.

Palestine/Israel Protests Our members took part in an urgent protest in response to Israel’s murder of nine innocent people on the Gaza flotilla earlier this year.

Blog and Facebook Group. I have been working continuously with members on the Waitemata Unite blog all year, at http://waitemataunite.blogspot.com, reporting our actions, sending in photos, reporting beneficiary protests overseas, reporting relevant news from New Zealand and overseas, and encouraging comments from readers.. I have started a Waitemata Unite Facebook Group which has attracted some interest around New Zealand and internationally.

Supporting our member getting her pay

We ventured into the field of workplace issues when one of our members was not paid the pay that she was due from a former employer. The threat of publicity and a quick word with a representative for the offending employer fixed that and our member got her pay!

Beneficiary Rights Groups and Forums

We have attended events organised by a number of groups who are raising beneficiary issues including the Child Poverty Action Group, the Alternative Welfare Working Group, the Kotare Centre, and a new beneficiaries’ action group which has been called for by Sue Bradford. We sent representatives to forums organised by the CPAG and the AWWG and also a disability forum organised by a Disability Law Centre. We are in touch with the Rotorua Peoples’ Union, which organised a dramatic protest in Rotorua this year; and the Wellington People’s Centre. I am also in touch with a group in Dunedin that wants to start up a beneficiaries’ union or perhaps form a branch of Unite.

Advocacy Training

Kay Beresford from the Wellington Peoples’ Centre has agreed to give advocacy training to some of our members in November.

Benefit Fact File

We receive updates of the Benefit Fact File from the Wellington People’s Centre around once or twice a year. This file has not yet been used to its full potential, but will be very useful when we begin to do more peer advocacy.

Auckland Super City Elections

Waitemata Unite members have been very active in grassroots movements aimed at opposing the privatisation of services such as water, and the anti-democratic structure of the new Auckland Super City, and have helped the campaign to get left leaning candidates elected.

Future Actions

I think that soon we need to get back to visiting WINZ offices to talk with and to recruit beneficiaries, and to give them leaflets explaining what the current political threats could be. We could also hold our own forums again.

This year WINZ took a large number of people off invalids benefits and onto sickness benefits, and National has passed legislation for work testing sickness beneficiaries and most single parents. Treasury is advocating further cuts, and the Welfare Working Group is looking at an insurance model which would disentitle most beneficiaries and allow people to receive help for only a short time. We are also seeing increasing privatisation of welfare services. This is why the need for beneficiaries to get organised is high.

When we go to WINZ we can hand out recruitment leaflets-which I have here-explaining the advantages of joining Unite, and encourage people to sign up with our new membership forms.

Over all this has been a good year for our branch, with steady attendance at meetings and lots of activity. The biggest blow is probably the fees increase within Unite, and of course the attacks from the government, without. However we have the potential to grow in numbers and in strength, and to help Unite to be truly a union for beneficiaries and paid workers as it was intended to be.

Finally, As an ex- treasurer I want to thank Paul Robertson for the fine job he has done, having taken over the huge job of treasurer, and also unofficial membership secretary, which goes with this job.

By Janet Robin

Waitemata Unite AGM This Saturday

2010-10-11T04:05:00.000-07:00

Waitemata Unite is having our Annual General Meeting this Saturday, October 16th, 11 am,

at the Avondale Community Centre, next to the Avondale Library, Rosebank Rd, Avondale.

We welcome in our new executive, who were elected unopposed. They are:

Keith, Secretary, tel 8369104

Janet, President, txt 021 2166937

Amy, Vice President, txt 021 1664230

Paul, Treasurer txt 0274223508

We'll be getting everyone renew their membership and fill in a new membership form.

New members are welcome.

We'll be electing a delegate and sending remits to the Unite National Conference, reviewing the past year, and talking about our plans and hopes for this year.

All members, friends and supporters are Welcome!

Bring a plate or something to drink.

Food will also be provided.

See you there!

Waitemata Branch of Unite Union

Feed the Kids Paula! Stop the Hypocrisy!

Maori child abuse linked to poverty and discrimination

By Simon Collins

Dr Fiona Cram says indigenous children are over-represented in child welfare systems. Photo / Steven McNicholl

President's Report 2011

We are the 99%: Occupy Queen Street!

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Waitemata Unite at the Hub, Ranui Caravan Park

Unite Members March In Solidarity with students, workers , unemployed. We Burn Social Security Amendment Act.

Waitemata Unite in March of Solidarity

No to Compulsary Income Management

Take a drug test or lose benefits?

Whakatane man Charlie James gave up smoking dope so he could pass a drug test for his job at Kajavala Forestry in Kawerau. Photo / Supplied

Learn to be an Advocate!

nzherald.co.nz - Brian Rudman: Hunger in land of milk and honey

Defend Our Benefits! Forum Sunday 31 July, Henderson, 1.30 pm

Children's Hunger

Forum: Defend our Benefits, Wages and Services !

"Let Them Eat Weetbix" says Paula Bennett.

Picket Benefit Bashing UK Minister Friday 22 July

Meet Janet Grossman, UK Welfare slasher, New Head of WINZ

On the day of the earthquake The WWW report came out

Welfare Working Group's Infamous Report

Beneficiaries Labelled as Mentally Ill

We join Race to the Bottom Street Theatre

Waitemata Unite Joins Budget Protest

Waitemata Unite Marches on May Day

May Day Protest

Sweeping benefit changes 'horrifying'

They Say Cutback, We Say Fight Back

Why You Need to Join Unite!:

Welfare Working Group's Infamous Report

What it's really like for single mothers

Our Offensive PM

Solidarity with Tunisian Unemployed

Ten Myths About Welfare

Report to UN: Government Fails Child Poverty and Child Health

NZ pretends recognition of the Rights of the Child

Government Hypocrisy over child abuse

nzherald.co.nz - Union deals sidestep Govt's 90 day law

91 Day Benefit Stand Down after 90 Day Employment?

What Work Counts

Hateful Speech Prepares Way for Welfare Cuts

Why beneficiaries should fear the right wing

Lively Protest for Beneficiary Rights at Waitakere WINZ,.

International Disability Day,Dec 3,Waitakere WINZ

Pictures from our Protest Dec 3rd

Protest at Waitakere WINZ

Protest at Waitakere WINZ

Raise All Benefits Now!!!

Call for 50 per cent rise in benefits

Australia-StandUp : Privatised Welfare.

More criticisms of WWG report

The Words of the Enemy

Unite Constitutional changes 2009

Unite Original Constitution 1998

Alternative Welfare Working Group Report

Welfare Working Group Distortions

On the Welfare Working Group’s latest round of welfare bashing

Dangers of Paula Rebstock's Options Paper

Protest Henderson WINZ, Friday 3rd December

Fighting Poverty and Beneficiary Bashing Saturday

WWG and 90 Act Attack Beneficiaries and Workers

Radical Changes to Social Welfare System

New Zealand government attacks beneficiaries

By Tom Peters 12 July 2010

The Maori Party and Whanau Ora

Single Parents and Suicide; Presentation

"Safety Net" to be Replaced by Forced Labour, Prostitution?

UK: Single Parents, Housing Benefits Cut

UK Cuts rely on women replacing welfare

President's Report-Summary

Waitemata Unite AGM This Saturday

By Tom Peters
12 July 2010