Beneficiaries and Workers Unite Against This Rotten Government

 Unite Waitemata Branch held a protest outside Paula Bennett’s office, Saturday 11 am, 27 March

429 Great North Rd, Henderson, against the  National Government's attacks upon beneficiaries.

The National Government plans to force all single mothers into part time work, once their children are six. Those on Unemployment benefit who fail work tests will have their benefits halved or stopped. Sickness benefits are to be re-assessed and hardship grants are to be tightened. All benefits are to be stopped after one year and must be re applied for.
And  even before these measures officially come about, National has already been forcing people off the  Invalids Benefit and onto Sickness Benefits-where they lose $49 per week!

These measures show a “disturbing lack of empathy” towards those who cannot work or who can only work part time while on a benefit” (Child Poverty Action Group). It is simply not appropriate for all mothers on the DPB to be forced into outside work when their child reaches a particular age. Mothering is work, and must be fully supported by society. Family needs vary and it must be the mother’s decision when she undertakes paid work.

The attacks upon benefits are part of the government’s agenda make its capitalist friends rich at our expense. In a time of rising unemployment it is absurd to bring in measures that force beneficiaries to work in order to qualify for a benefit. It’s work for the dole by another name.

The government is trying to to whip up sexist, racist, beneficiary -bashing sentiments; to get support for its greedy and heartless attacks upon our livelihoods. It tries to divide the “deserving” poor-eg widows, against the “undeserving” eg single mothers.

It is also trying to divide non beneficiaries (those who rely on paid work as their main income) against beneficiaries (those whose main source of income is a benefit). In fact our interests are the same: we all need living incomes-whether in the form of wages, benefits, accommodation supplements; student allowances, pensions, family support etc or any combination of these.

In today’s economy many workers rely on state support at times, and many beneficiaries also do paid work. When benefits rise, so do wages.

Workers and Beneficiaries Unite for a Living Income for All! Raise the Minimum Wage to at least $15 per hour! Raise all Benefits to a living income! Say no to punitive Benefit Threats and Cuts! End Child poverty NOW! Say No to youth rates!

We won’t pay for their crisis! Make the bosses pay! I

Issued by the acting President of the Waitemata Branch of Unite!

Tel:  (Secretary) 8369104 txt: (President)  021 2166937

Unite! is a community union for low paid workers, students and beneficiaries

If you want to take part of  more actions against these cuts get in touch!
Join Unite Waitemata Branch!

Children Protest against Cuts

Children joined their mothers at the Protest outside Paula Bennett's office against attacks on Benefits organised by the Unite Waitemata Branch on 27th March.

Protest Against Attacks on Benefits

 On 27th March Unite Waitemata Branch organised a protest  outside Paula Bennett's office in Henderson against the savage attacks upon beneficiaries by  the National Government.  About fifty people attended including beneficiaries, single mothers and their children, carers, students, anarcha- feminists, socialists,  the Green Party,  Unite Union, Living Wage Campaign and Socialism Aotearoa

Living Wage Flying Picket

Beneficiares and Workers Unite for  Living Income for All!

Unite Flying Picket

Unite Waitemata Secretary Keith (far left) and Living Wage Campaigner Joe (centre) with Living Wage crew on Queen St on April 1st.

25 Cents Won't Pay the Rent

and

Strike Strike -- Strike strike strike! they chanted outside Burger King, MacDonalds and other low paying fast food outlets.

Unite Waitemata Branch members attended a flying picket of low wage food outlets on April 1st, 2010-John Key's a Fool Day.

We picketted MacDonalds, JB Hi Fi, Burger King, Hollywood Cafe, and many others up and down the length of Queen St.

Waitemata Branch members have been very busy supporting the Living Wage Campaign organised by the Unite Union. The campaign aims to raise the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour. Alongside that we need Living Benefits. Beneficiaries and Workers Unite for a living income for all!

Organising Together

Unite Waitemata Branch is a democratic active branch where members help one another.
We go to employers collectively to apply for work, We accompany each other to WINZ appointments . We have a Benefit Fact File for anyone needing information about their entitlements. We help one another with childcare at meetings when we can.
We take part in campaigns in support of worker's and beneficiaries rights-including leafletting, and pickets.

For further information contact the Secretary 8369104

Problems with WINZ? Share you Stories!

Are you having problems with WINZ , your school, or your employer?
Can't make ends meet ?
Benefit , pension, student allowance, or wage far too low?
Not getting the benefit you are entitled to?
Told to get a loan ?
Paying secondary tax, higher taxes, high benefit rebates?
Losing your home?
Increasing Stress?
Being forced to apply for work- even if you have a disability, are sick, are parenting,
or there is no work available?
Family troubles?
Long waits to see a case officer?
You are not alone!
Let's Share our Stories!
Together we can do something about it!
PLEASE CLICK THE COMMENTS BUTTON TO SHARE YOUR STORY NOW!

RAT PATROL LAUNCH 12 NOON AOTEA SQUARE SAT FEB 28

On Saturday Unite Union is presenting the "Rat Patrol" to help fight unfair sackings to the public in Aotea Square at 12 noon. Dozens of people have volunteered to join an on-call squad to protest against employers who sack people unfairly. They will be marching.
A new law comes into force on Monday which allows workers in smallbusinesses to be sacked for any reason, or no reason at all, in theirfirst 90 days of employment.
The law has been dubbed the 90-day fire at will law by unions.
Unite National Director Mike Treen says “The Rat Patrol volunteers are telling employers that if the government takes away peoples' right to legally challenge an unfair dismissal then we have to take action outside the framework of the courts.”
The Rat Patrol is named in reference to a 6metre high inflatable rat the Unite Union uses when picketing employers’ premises with a sign aroundits neck saying "Don't be a rat: Give workers a fair deal”.
“We want as many volunteers as possible to join the Rat Patrol by registering our website www.unite.org.nz “ said Mike Treen.
“Our goal is to have several hundred people registered as willing and able to respond to appeals for help on short notice. There is loads of anger in the community about the new law, and people love the idea of bringing the giant inflatable rat to shame their own rat bosses.”

From: "We Won't Pay For Your Crisis" an organised fightback against attacks upon the working class during this capitalist crisis.

For more information about the Rat patrol and "We Won't Pay For Your Crisis" meeting times contact Unite Waitemata Branch Secretary Keith tel: 8340604
email: keithhend@gmail.com

Posted by the President

Join Us!

Fees for Beneficiaries are $1 per week. Fees for others are normally $2 per week.
Download the form, fill it in and email it to the Secretary: keithhend@gmail.com
Or print it and phone 09 8369104 to find out where to post it.

I wish to join Waitemata Branch Of Unite

Mr/Ms/Miss
Name...............................................................................................
Address...............................................................................................................
Phone:
Home………………………....... Work…………………….. Mobile…………………….
E-mail………………………….............................................................

Fill in as applicable
Employer........................................................................................
Work place.....................................................................................
School ............................................................................................
Tertiary Institution.....................................................................
Benefit............................................................................................
Pension..........................................................................................
Care-giver e.g. parent.................................................................
Voluntary occupation..................................................................
Other occupation.........................................................................
Signed.................................................... Date.....................................

Rally against the 90 Act! This Saturday, 12 Noon, Aotea Square!

There will be a mass rally against the 90 Day Act this Saturday , 12 Noon, February 28th , at the Aotea Square, Queen Street , Auckland.

Waitemata Unite's President says:
This legislation is really dangerous for beneficiaries who may be forced into unsuitable work, then sacked, then refused a benefit because they have been sacked! We need to resist all sackings, and make sure all our unions do too, especially UNITE! The good thing is- you can stay in UNITE no matter what; and the Waitemata Branch is a voice for beneficiaries in the union.

Mass Action defeated the Wayne Mapp 90 Day Bill before. We need mass action to defeat this current 90 Day Act.

Employers Take Advantage of 90 Day Act at Time of Recession

All bets off as jobless hit six-year highEmployers are turning to easier-to-fire part-time and casual staff for a more flexible workforce to help them through the economic downturn.Figures made public yesterday by Statistics New Zealand show unemployment hit a six-year high of 4.6 per cent in the December quarter. This was up from 4.2 per cent in September a rise of 10.8 per cent in three months. There are now 105,000 jobless nationwide. Most economists expect unemployment to reach 7 per cent this year, putting pressure on the Reserve Bank to further cut the official cash rate from 3.5 per cent to as low as 2 per cent by the middle of the year. But economists say the big surprise in December's figures was the 0.9 per cent increase in the number of people in work in the quarter, mainly due to the 3.5 per cent rise in part-time workers. The number of fulltime employees also rose, but by a modest 0.3 per cent. Just over 69 per cent of the workforce was employed, up 0.6 per cent, as people tried to make ends meet, economists said. "All these extra job-hunters overwhelmed the supply of jobs," ASB economist Jane Turner said. Robin Clements at UBS said the increase in the number of part-time workers suggested employers were turning to casual staff who were "easier to let go if need be".Just as Tumeke predicted when National misused urgency and pack raped the select committee process to ram through the right to sack law, employers are now starting to focus on only casual employment so that they can sack new workers under the new 90 day law. With over 7% unemployment predicted this year, plus the many NZers who will flee the Australian economic and environmental collapse plus the 100 000 NZers who find themselves as new employers every 3 months, that creates a massive slice of NZ who are always new employees and as such are ripe for exploitation. These figures show how quickly that exploitation is starting.
(Reprinted from www.tumeke.blogspot.com/ -)