A-Infos (en) Aotearoa (NZ), Solidarity #12 - newssheet of the Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement September 2010

Contents: ---- Workers Rally Nationwide ---- NZ Soldier Dies For Tyranny ---- Abortion On 
Demand? Not In New Zealand ---- Upcoming public events ---- If you want to make sure you 
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Workers Rally Nationwide

WELLINGTON

Up to 2000 people gathered in Civic Square in Wellington on Saturday 21st August, in one 
of 4 nationwide rallies organised by the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) in opposition to 
the National Government’s proposed changes to employment laws. On a surprisingly warm 
winters day, members of dozens of unions, political parties and groups and others came 
together to publicly display their stance against the disgusting proposals which will, if 
passed, serve to further lower wages and conditions, lessen job security and make it 
harder to collectively fight back against bosses.
Unfortunately, the decades the CTU has spent discouraging mass action have taken their 
toll, as it seemed they no longer actually knew how to organise a rally. The sound system 
used was so poor that perhaps as many as half the crowd could not hear any of the speeches 
from the stage. The rally was dominated by unionised workers, and it seemed that few 
non-unionised workers were in attendance. This reflected the advertising for the rally, 
which was done primarily within unions. Few attempts were made to attract non-unionised 
workers, even though all workers will be affected by the proposed laws. This was also 
reflected in the venue chosen which is effectively closed off on all four sides by 
buildings and has little foot traffic passing through it, so hardly anyone who wasn’t 
coming to the rally would have even known it was there. 2000 people shouldn’t be laughed 
at, but with the resources the CTU has available, it should have been able to muster many, 
many more.
Still, for those who turned up, it was a nice day in the sun. There were plenty of 
children in attendance, who seemed to be enjoying themselves with balloons and face 
painting, while plenty of people were fed by the non-stop sausage sizzle. On the stage, 
there were speeches and entertainment from two workers who had been fired under the 90 day 
fire-at-will law, union officials, a stand-up comedian, a choir and a dance troupe. 
Everyone there also walked away with a handful of leaflets, fliers and postcards from a 
variety of groups and causes.
Following the rally, about 40 people marched on the street up to BurgerFuel and held a 
noisy demonstration. A Burgerfuel store in Auckland recently fired a worker after 89 days 
using the 90 day fire-at-will law, simply for asking for the breaks she was legally 
entitled to. The demonstration sent a clear message to BurgerFuel and any other employer 
that wishes to use the 90 day bill that they cannot fire workers without any repercussions.

AUCKLAND

Billed by the CTU as a celebration of ‘Fairness at Work’, the Auckland rally on Saturday 
August 21st attracted over 1000 workers, though most weren’t there to celebrate. There was 
the inevitable brown nosing of the Labour Party as Helen Kelly gave a shout out to those 
MPs scattered throughout the crowd, but a speech from the National Distribution Union 
(NDU) rep Syd Keepa and the music of Tigi Ness countered the CTU message and made it clear 
that worker’s power, not parliamentary power, was needed to win this fight.
Keepa made the connection between beneficary bashing and attacks on workers rights, noting 
that John Key, a representative of the rich, was leading an attack on the poor. It was 
clear Keepa felt a show of worker’s strength was the only means to counter this attack, 
stating that in his opinion we should be having a general strike. His suggestion was meet 
by a hearty cheer from many in the crowd who shared his frustration and anger.
The rally ended with songs by Tigi Ness calling for workers to ‘get up, and stand up for 
their rights’ in defence of their whanau and their communities. A nationwide action has 
been called for Wednesday 20th October, as the struggle continues.

DUNEDIN

The Dunedin rally in the series of nationally co-ordinated rallies organised by the CTU 
took place on the Sunday due to there being a capping parade the day before. Approximately 
500 people assembled at the dental school to march to the Octagon; twice the number of the 
previous day of action. Unions represented included the PPTA, EPMU, NZNO, RMTU, DWU, 
Unite, PSA, SLGOU, SFWU, TEU, and NZEIEI. The marchers were led in chants by members of 
the International Socialist Organisation, who, unlike the local CTU, own a large number of 
megaphones. Chants included, “WHEN WORKERS’ RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK, STAND UP – FIGHT 
BACK” and “UNION! POWER! WORKERS! POWER!”
When the crowd reached the Octagon they were greeted by Glenda Alexander, the chairwoman 
of Unions Otago, the local CTU affiliates body. Glenda is hoping to stand as Labour 
candidate for Dunedin North in next year’s elections and it looks like her campaign is 
already under way as the podium was surrounded by Labour Party placards. Radical 
folksinger, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, David Rovics, was in 
attendance to entertain the crowd. The first song he did was “Which Side Are You On?”, the 
Florence Reese classic about organising in the Kentucky coalfields in the depression. This 
added a nice touch of explicit class consciousness to the proceedings in contrast to the 
CTU’s fairness rhetoric. The rally was then addressed by CTU secretary Peter Conway before 
being turned over to the local speakers. These included a nurse, teacher, fast food 
worker, and wharfie who had travelled all the way from Bluff. Most spoke about the very 
damaging effects the proposed amendments to the ERA and Holidays Act will have on workers’ 
day-to-day lives. The teacher spoke about the very high rate of trainee teachers leaving 
the job before they are even qualified because of the lousy conditions they are forced to 
work under. Attacks to union access and the 90-day law will undermine these even more. The 
rally ended with Rovics singing ‘The Internationale’, anthem of international 
working-class solidarity. Apart from the attempt to stamp the Labour brand on the rally, 
the day was a reasonably encouraging first step in the campaign to stop the bills from 
going through.

CHRISTCHURCH

Over a thousand people assembled in the Square on July 21. A few marched to the rally as 
an anti-capitalist bloc. As with the other rallies, the CTU rally went on for a couple of 
hours, and featured speeches, music and entertainment. Afterwards, a small group of people 
marched to the Manufacturers Employers’ Association building, but decided to call off 
their proposed tour of other targets (such as the Labour Party offices and Canterbury 
Chamber of Commerce) due to lack of numbers.
----------------------------------------

NZ Soldier Dies For Tyranny

A month after John Key visits Afghanistan to inform the worn and homesick NZSAS that their 
role in the war on Afghanistan is to remain one of complicity in war crimes (such as 
assisting in operations resulting in the torture of prisoners), a New Zealand soldier is 
killed in an explosive attack.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time for John Key, who in 2009 vaguely told NATO that 
NZ troops would remain in Afghanistan for “three to five years” despite polls showing that 
public opinion is strongly opposed to the invasion and military personnel are highly 
doubtful of any sort of victory, amidst growing concern in NZ for their safety. On top of 
that, over 90,000 classified documents of US military communications were recently 
published by wikileaks, titled ‘The Afghan War Diaries’ painting a nauseating picture of 
the past decade. Depleted uranium, white phosphorous, drones controlled from an 
underground base in Arizona used for hunting and killing without trial, assassination of 
innocent civilians and the torture of prisoners are all evidence of the devastating 
effects of the invasion.
That the war is unjust can hardly be disputed, however some important questions remain for 
New Zealanders. Firstly, why is it happening, and why are we there?
Not just Afghanistan but the entire middle east region from Syria to Pakistan is of 
central importance to the US imperialist strategy, and to a lesser extent, British and 
western capitalist control of humanities most vital resource: oil. With this they need 
influence over the financial institutions, such as the standard oil export currency which 
changed from the dollar to the euro shifting profits away from US corporations, who have 
for long enriched themselves on the petroleum that once transformed into CO2 is 
responsible for rapidly escalating and catastrophic climate change.
So what is New Zealand’s role in US imperialist strategy? Most probably, our commitment to 
the Orwellian operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ has been a condition in obtaining a free trade 
agreement (FTA) with the US. One might ask how ‘free’ trade can be if war is the 
condition. It is also an opportunity for the NZ government to stimulate its military 
expenditures, create fear in the public mind and pass laws under the guise of 
anti-terrorism, drastically altering the structure of power relations in our society, 
stripping civil liberties and creating a police state. The attempted use of the Terrorism 
Suppression Act against M?ori, anarchists and peace activists ending in the October 2007 
police raids across the country which followed a two year covert surveillance operation is 
a good example of this, and of government repression against democracy. So is the 
introduction of the Search and Surveillance Bill which is presently in the process of 
becoming law and if passed will consequently lead New Zealand in the direction of 
totalitarianism.
Summarily, that war is a profit tool for capitalists is a truism, with 39 companies making 
up the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA). The central purpose of the war is 
ideological and resource based, to obtain control of the vast oil revenues and maintain a 
domineering state-capitalist power structure adhering to neo-liberalism; in which the 
working class of the world are subject to more and more exploitation by capital and the 
state, with the working class in the ‘developing’ nations taking the worst hit.
As the US is currently expanding their Middle East war efforts in preparing to bomb Iran, 
the question of what New Zealanders can do to see the NZSAS withdrawn from Afghanistan 
remains a moral dilemma. In referring to the prior questions of why it started, we may 
find some guidance. Active rejection of the main forces, capitalism and government, and 
focusing on the concentrations of power and capital with a stake in war, such as the NZDIA 
and those in government seeking a FTA with the US (which would be harmful for workers 
regardless), are common steps towards peace. And when NZ troops express concern for 
relinquishing their role in the war, and a desire to be withdrawn, we (the funders through 
taxation) could support this against the will of government leaders, who are the real 
murderers along with the NZDIA in this equation.
And lastly; even if a campaign was capable of withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan, 
it’s possible they could simply be sent over the border to fight in Iran, and even more 
likely now whilst under the National government’s administration. John Key would probably 
jump at the opportunity.
As popular opinion continues to sway against the war, globally and within the military 
located there, we are finding ourselves with more and more leeway and opportunities to 
help bring about peace in the region. And as long as we are paying for the bullets with 
our taxes, it’s our responsibility to try.
-----------------------------------------

Abortion On Demand? Not In New Zealand

There’s a common myth that New Zealand women have the right to abortion. However, although 
the law is usually interpreted extremely liberally, the Crimes Act and the Contraception, 
Sterilisation and Abortion Act severely limit the circumstances under which women can have 
abortions. This misapprehension helps to prevent real abortion on demand from being made 
accessible to all women in the country. As well as the law creating legal loopholes that 
women have to jump through, it puts significant barriers for access for some women.
Of the 21 District Health Boards in the country, 7 do not offer abortions, meaning women 
in the Mid Central, Whanganui, Lakes and Bay of Plenty areas in the North Island, and the 
South Canterbury, West Coast and Southland areas in the South Island who want an abortion 
have to travel for the procedure. Some have to travel very long distances - for instance, 
if you live in Bluff, you’ll be forced to drive 8 & 1/2 hours to Christchurch, despite 
Dunedin hospital being a comparatively close 3 & 1/4 hours drive. As the process often 
takes multiple appointments, women seeking abortions may even have to make these long 
trips more than once, which means taking yet more time off work, education, or any other 
commitments they may have. First trimester abortion is a relatively simple procedure, and 
there is no medical reason why it can’t be offered in every hospital in the country.
For women who aren’t eligible for publicly funded health services, the situation becomes 
even harder. This includes women in New Zealand on shorter work, student or visitors 
visas, undocumented immigrants, failed refugees and asylum seekers awaiting deportation 
and more. These women face a cost of around $1000 (sometimes upwards of $2500), and many 
clinics and hospitals do not provide abortions for non-eligible woman at all, again 
potentially meaning extra cost and difficulty associated with long-distance travel.
A woman’s ability to decide what happens to her body is a crucial aspect of the fight for 
women’s freedom. Abortion on demand must be legal, but it must also be easily accessible 
to all those who choose to use it. New Zealand’s abortion laws fall far, far short of that 
at present.
The Wellington branch of AWSM is hosting a discussion on abortion rights activism on 
October 6th. See column on page 2 for details
-----------------------------------------------

Upcoming public events

DUNEDIN
The Dunedin Anarchist-Communist Strategy Discussion Group meets every second Monday, 
7:30pm @ Black Star Books, at the back of the CORSO building, 111 Moray Place. The next 
meeting is on 13 Sept.

WELLINGTON
• EVERY FRIDAY, 1-2pm, Cnr Willis and Lambton Quay, support the JB Hi-Fi workers on strike.
• TUES SEPT 14, 7pm, People’s Centre, Lukes Lane, meeting of the Wellington Workers’ 
Solidarity Network.
• WED OCT 6, 7pm. Thistle Hall (downstairs), 293 Cuba St. Discussion on abortion rights 
activism. Hosted by Wellington branch of AWSM. All welcome.

CHRISTCHURCH
SAT SEPT 25, 9.30am-4.30pm, WEA, 59 Gloucester St. Hui to form a collective action 
network. Organised by Beyond Resistance
_________________________________________
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