Co President's Report Unite Waitemata
Community Branch
By Janet Robin
18 November 2017.
It is one year now since we
have been renamed the Unite Waitemata Community Branch of Unite.
At the last AGM we changed
our name, and I resigned as Treasurer,
and Keith Henderson was elected as Treasurer.
Keith was also re-elected as Secretary.
Paul Robertson and myself
were elected as Assistant Treasurs
Christina Faumuina and I were elected as the two Co- Presidents.
So our Executive for 2016-2017 comprised Keith,
myself, Christina and Paul.
I changed the names of our
facebook group and our blog site to
include "Community Branch" as part of the name.
The facebook group's name is
Waitemata Unite Community Branch.
The Website or blog is
also called Waitemata Unite Community Branch
Our Community or "Like" Page on the other hand,
on Facebook, kept its original name
"Unite Waitemata".
The Waitemata Unite Community Branch Group on
facebook , has had an active year full
of lively discussions and debates., with some new members.
The Facebook Like page has
been less active, but still has regular posts from time to time.
I am also contributing to the
State Housing Action Network page as one of the administrators, adding
information related to the housing crisis on this page.
Keith and I attended the
Unite National Conference as
delegates, towards the end of 2016, and
promoted our remits in support of the Syrian revolution, and against the
bombing and starving of civilians in Syria. These remits did not pass, but
there was a sizeable minority in support of them.
We did not attend the 2017
Unite National Conference.
The blog site,
waitemataunite.blogspot.com , has not been very active in 2017.
One of the main areas of our
branch activism this year has been in
support of Niki Rauti, who struggled to keep her state home at 14 Taniwha St, Glen Innes.
Many of our members went out
to her home several times, and attended court hearings, to help
stop Niki's eviction .
Niki contested the eviction in the courts, and had
some success in delaying the eviction for several months. When the High Court
decided against her, Niki, who was very tired, eventually accepted some alternative housing near by, and agreed to
leave her home. This was a sad ending to a long struggle, but I think we can be
happy that the community rallied around Niki and that we put up an effective
struggle for such a long time.
One of our main actions this
year was to organise a forum about the Universal Basic Income.
This was held in August, in the period leading up to the general election.
We had speakers from the Green Party (Denise Roche) the Opportunities Party (Geoff Simmons) , as well as Dave Bedggood, a marxist sociologist, communist and member of
our branch.
The UBI continues to be a
theme that is being widely discused and it was good to have some time to look
at it in both positive and critical ways.
Denise Roche presented some of the welfare policies of the
Green Party, which could radically
improve the lives of beneficiaries if they were implemented; as well as their
policies to raise the minimum wage and to strengthen unions.
Before the election, the co-leader of the Green Party, Meteria
Turei resigned, after being lambasted in
the media, for having spoken publically about having lied to WINZ when she had been a young sole mother on a
benefit. Meteria said that she had spoken out in order to focus people's
attention on the poverty that beneficiaries actually face.
On 16 SeptemberUnite
Waitemata Community Branch members
attended
a Rally against Poverty at the Otara Town centre, organised by the Green Party.
The general election of 23 September, leading to
the formation of the Labour- NZ First government, with the backing of the Green
Party; gives us an opportunity to be
heard and to present some ideas for how
to improve the welfare system. Jacinda Ardern, the new Prime Minister has also
taken on a portfolio to tackle Child Poverty.
Carmel Sepuloni, the new Minister of Social
Development, has shown a lot of
commitment to beneficiaries in her
electorate whilst in opposition. The new
government has proposals to help parents
including sole parents, but is
less forthcoming in assisting single people such as those receiving Job Seeker Support or
Supported Living Payment.
Carmel Sepuloni has signalled
the government's intention to abolish sanctions for sole
mothers who don't name the father of their babies.
This is victory for decades
of activism. In 2016 a campaign against
sanctions against sole mother was
launched by a number of organisations, including the Auckland Women's Centre
and Auckland Action Against Poverty. Our branch contributed to the campaign, including by making submissions to parliament.
There are so many things
wrong with the welfare system, and the new government gives us an opportunity
for us to put pressure on the slightly more left leaning government to make
progressive changes.
We also need to be alert for
any anti beneficiary proposals coming from the NZ First part of the coalition,
such as Shane Jones' recently talking about work for the dole.
The new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacficic
Partnership (CPTPP); which is currently supported by both National and
Labour; is also a threat to our
rights, especially whilst any Investor
State Dispute Settlement clauses remain in it.
We should continue to oppose the TPP,
and its current form- the CPTPP.
However, despite the opportunities for
activism, the energy of our branch has dwindled. There do not appear to be the people willing and
able to perform the necessary duties of treasurer and secretary which are
essential if we were to continue as a branch.
We could possibly continue to
function as an activist group, and this
is one thing that an ongoing executive and/or
subcomittee could look into; before making final proposals to a Special
General meeting in early 2018. We could use our current funds to help our ongoing
activities promoting beneficiary
rights and working class solidarity.
We could also look into the
possibility of some kind merger with an organisation with similar goals to
ours.
However it could be that the
best option would be to close the branch, and donate any remaining funds to
orgaisations with similar aims to ours.
If we close the branch, our
current members could join other
organisations with similar goals to ours, if
they wish to do that.
If we do close as a branch,
we can look back to decades of activism in support of beneficaries rights, and
in support of beneficiary -worker solidarity.
We have always felt that the Unite union
should honour its constitution, and actively recruit and organise
beneficiaries, in an organised way, with proper funding, from its central
organisation. We haven't succeeded in
persuading the central organisation to do this.
Some of the highlights of our
activism over the years, were our
frequent visits to, and leafletting of, WINZ centres; engaging with
other beneficiaries, advising people of their rights, campaigning for change, and encouraging people
to come to our meetings. We organised many protests outside WINZ
offices, including Henderson and New Lynn. I organised a three day Advocacy
training in Te Atatu, so that our members could more effectively act as peer
advocates for each other. Our biggest
year of activism was probably 2012, when we worked hard all year against the
welfare attacks intoduced by the National government. Most significant were the International Women's Day protest over a motorway overbridge in St Lukes Rd, a May Day pram protest at
WINZ Queen Streen; and a huge day of action as part of a National Day of
Action against the cuts in October 2012; in Henderson. On this day we
assembed in Henderson, marched to WINZ,
assembled and listened to speakers there; then marched again to another rally
at Paula Bennett's office. In December of the previous year, we had also
held a successful joint protest
with AAAP at the Henderson WINZ .
Whilst Paula Bennet was the Minster for Social Development we held several
protests at her office over several years;
both by night and by day; and attended many of her public meetings- both
by challenging her inside the meeting,
and prosting with placards outside. We had some wonderful placards
designed for us by one member who we met at the International Women's Day
protest.
Ka whawhai tonu mātou. Kia ora katoa.
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