SPEECH OF CTU MAORI VICE PRESIDENT ELECT: SHARON CLAIR TO CTU ORGANISER AND DELEGATES HUI 2005
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou Katoa
Tena koutou Katoa e nga mana
E nga iwi
E nga reo
E nga karangatanga maha o nga hau e wha, tenei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa
Tena ano hoki I o tatou tini aitua
Haere atu ki a ratou I ahu mai I
Te Moana nui a Kiwa
Haere, Haere, Haere koutou Katoa
Ratou te hunga mate ki a ratou.
Tatou te hunga ora ki a tatou
Tena tatou Katoa
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou Katoa
Tainui te waka
Waikato te Awa
Maungatautari te Maunga
Raukawa te Iwi
Ngati Tu Korehe te hapu
Te Ruapeka te Marae
Herani Te Tawhera toku Kuia tupuna
Hoani Clair toku Koroua tupuna
Pat Clair toku Pap
Judy Palmer toku Mama
Ko Sharon Clair toku ingoa
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to be able to convey very warm greetings to you all. In particular I would like to acknowledge our President Ross Wilson who has been able to be with us today and also send greetings from our Secretary Carol Beaumont and Vice President Helen Kelly.
As Vice President Maori elect I would like to share with you my Kaupapa for this position. I hold the teaching I have been given as a belief regarding leadership and that is; that the authority imparted to the VPM role is an authority that will be exercised in the spirit of serving.
We begin a new political year with continued uncertainty over our next government whilst remaining quietly confident of labour achieving a third term. We have taken a sigh of relief that we are not facing the challenges fellow workers face in the Pacific, particularly Australia and Tonga. However it is not time to sit back and relax but more a time for Maori workers to unite for the Maori nation. The Treaty remains in the forefront of contentious political thinking, race based policy will continue to dominate discussion, and the recovery of assimilation policy making prevails.
There may never have been a more critical period in Maori development than now to seize the opportunity to advance Maori worker participation. We can look to the past and the struggles that we have endured to ensure that our rights as Tangata whenua remain cemented in the goal of modern democracy standards of fairness and justice. We have continued to strive for social justice that promotes equality without undermining Maori independence and distinctiveness. We have rallied together against the disruption of our social organisation and productive activity and the impoverishment of our people. It is time once again to rally together to ensure that our young become the clear thinking leaders we need tomorrow. That our current workforce not only continues to enjoy meaningful employment but also acquires the realisation that working smarter for themselves must be on a future oriented agenda.
Wherever possible, we use the "organising" model which simplistically means, an approach to working with members that gives power to them to act in their own interest. This approach is distinctly different from that where a staff or elected member "fixes" things for members.
The organising model requires organisers to be facilitators,who encourage theopen flow of information and who work with members to develop skills of participation, self responsibility and decision making.
As Organisers and delegates you encourage members to understand that they can choose to act in their own interest, and with appropriate information are enabled to know what is best for themselves.
You are educators in that you "teach" what unionism is about: building a strong organisation with collectivism, action and democracy at its heart.
You are involved in assisting members to resolve issues that include:
- Professional issues
- Collective agreement negotiations
- Health and safety issues
- Individual issues including personal grievances
- Broader workplace issues including restructuring and changes to work practices
You play a leadership role in wider political campaigns, with other unions, community groups and relevant organisations.
Organisers and delegates need an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi andits significancefor the CTU and also the issues that arise for Maori, such as racism, prejudice and pay and employment equity.[1]
Over the next few days we will Wananga to gain clarity about the realisation of our dreams and the fulfilment of our aspirations as Maori unionists. We are invited to board the waka of helping advance nga kai mahi through growth and innovation through the establishment of a culture of life long learning. When we consider traditional Wananga a reading from the very wise and inspirational leader Rev Maori Marsden comes to mind that I would like to now share with you.
“A student had been dedicated to Tane and was sent into the forest to meditate and fast, the goal being the spirit of Tane would come to the student and teach the student things of the spirit so that the student would know and understand all things that have been taught to them since birth and that the student would understand new knowledge. In this case concerning the forest and things pertaining to Tane. On arriving in the forest this student took his place for two weeks and did what was required. He looked around him and to the trees. On his return to the house of learning he was asked what was the teaching of the spirit of Tane to you? He explained, when I was in the forest meditating I sat one day under some kahikatea trees, I asked myself why do these trees grow together? One tree might be here and another might be there, but they grow together. He looked at this and decided to dig around a little. He saw that the roots of the kahikatea trees are somewhat shallow, they do not grow deeply into the ground. He asked himself why this should be so. Then he had an illumination. He understood why the kahikatea trees grow together. This is the only tree that grows in this way. He understood that at stormy times, when the wind blows, if the kahikatea tree should grow on its own, then it will fall over because of the shallowness of the roots. However, as they stand together, the roots have become interwoven with one another. When the wind blows and a tree should lean over, then it is held in place by the roots of another tree. Further if a person should stand on his/her own, then he/she will fall, according to the model of standing together .”
“Concerning knowledge, this is something we collect. One listens to stories and explanations and gathers these things into ones basket so that it may be full”. Our task is to gather together these treasures into our basket.[2]
As we stand together the roots of solidarity are interwoven providing us with the strength, energy and power to hold firmly in place the collective aspirations of Maori workers with social and economic equality at our heart.
Workplace Participation:
When you ponder on what your role as an organiser, delegate or union member is and what does it mean to be a trade unionist, no doubt you ask yourself how do I fulfil this role, what do I really do to contribute to Maori development? Each one of us contributes in ways that are meaningful however, I sense not so well recognised. Perhaps it is time that we make visible our worth and not be bothered about the storms ahead of us for the spirit of Tane has taught us that we do not stand alone. We may at times feel like we are here and there in the forest of workers but we are here and there together. I envisage the challenge for us is to share this learning and the learning that we will embark on over the next few days with our fellow workers. I believe it is in our interest as delegates and organisers to advance this learning to Maori workers for I ask you how will we be able to successfully bargain for higher wages and better skilled jobs.if the industries we are employed in are weak and unstable?
Workers need and must have a say in their workplaces. Employers are increasingly recognising and understanding they must commit to investing in the workforce to achieve workplace innovation and growth. Employers refer to this as productivity, Can I tell you that I; probably like some of you am not comfortable with the term ‘productivity’ mostly because it does have an economic definition that perhaps we need not get to hung up on. However, real risks present themselves that we should not and must not fool ourselves into believing don’t exist. We are all too familiar with change processes that has often led to restructuring and loss of jobs. This is but one critical reason why becoming more actively involved in workforce participation is a necessary part of union work.
The economic definition of productivity is the measure of output per hour worked. I think there may be an opportunity to look at another perception of productivity that we can support comfortably.
Perhaps productivity can mean not doing more and more but doing what you do better eg in the health sector, care giver productivity could be measured by the wellness of the community. Investing in training and better care giver practices to achieve better health outcomes is productive and would result in safer working conditions and improved renumeration for the care giver and healthier communities for society. That has to be good. Unsafe work conditions and low wages that this particular workforce currently faces equals high staff turnover, low morale, increased workload because recruitment is low. And an unsafe environment to live out the end phase of our lives.
We have a responsibility to explain this paradigm to employers. It is time for employers to appreciate that there is no such thing as an unproductive worker simply systems and work organisation structures in need of improvement and sound resource investment into growing high skill and high wage cultures of employment. This can only happen with authentic engagement between unions, government and employers.
We promote an active approach to social and economic development. Committting ourselves to partnerships and promoting change that leads to greater prosperity for all in Aotearoa. This will not and must not distract us from our organising work holding true to union activism. But will compliment this important work through promoting and achieving fair labour standards for the protection of workers.
The CTU does do more than talk. Our walk bears witness to this. We have committed active participation in the workplace productivity agenda, the growth and innovation advisory board, the skillnz strategy, the food and beverage sector taskforce, governance of Industry Training Organisations and the recent Hui Taumata.
Whilst the minimum wage has increased we are still a low wage economy. Although we have a 13% or 34,200 more union members now than in 1999 slow wage growth and skills shortages continues. [3] This can be explained in part to low levels of collective bargaining and low levels of union membership particularly in the private sector.
Our responsibility to unionise and be Te Kauae Kaimahi needs to be a key focus for Maori development. We are obligated to educate and encourage workers, government and employers to realise that worker participation and productivity will grow with investment in skill development and the authentic creation of pathways that will enable workers to build their existing knowledge and skills to achieve higher wages and secure jobs. I suspect there exists an element of fear held by employers that investing in skill development will result in workers leaving the employer in favour of further development.
The answer to this fear is that Productivity need not be a negative perception if benefits of productivity are shared. To assist in the sharing of benefits the CTU has engaged with a broad range of industry initiatives, including food and beverage, seafood, textiles and clothing and forestry. Involving workers in industry strategy is critical to industry sustainability. The High Road approach that the CTU advocates is an approach for High Skill, High Productivity, High Wages, High Participation.
If we fail to espouse the ‘High Road’ message what may realistically occur for Maori is employers choosing to continue paying low pay by importing cheap labour. We have to be asking ourselves do we want Maori to pay the cost for an immigration response to the need for high productivity?
Moving our products and services up the value chain so that we are not competing globally on price but on Maori innovation and skill into higher value products and services that other countries cannot match is a need we are addressing over these next few days.
Wahine Participation:
Let us not forget in our discussions throughout this hui to include the importance of balancing work and other responsibilities. Let us discuss how structures of work, the number of hours required, the need for certainity of hours as well as flexibility of hours are so much a part for considering motivation to participate in workplace productivity. Let us discuss leave provisions for Maori workers, Tangihanga leave and of course the increasing wage gap between women and men. This is particularly relevant to Maori and more so for Maori women we will not only earn less income than Maori men but also Non Maori Men and Non Maori women.
Many of us women are under intense pressure trying to balance paid work and family responsibilities.. Women's work as mothers needs to be recognised and supported, and women need to be protected from violence and abuse. Women often have responsibility not only for their own health but also that of their children. As mothers and carers, women play a major role in the health of our society.
It is Maori women who are advancing themselves by attending more tertiary learning and yet Women students are still discriminated against. It is Maori women who are creating pathways for Maori Potential by being recognised as the largest group of entrepreneurs in this country. Therefore equal pay for work of equal value must be met . It is our women who are balancing two or three jobs and the whanau needs. Yet we will be more likely to lack support and recognition of our roles and interests as Tangata whenua by employers. . The key issues identified by Maori women to the Ministry of Womens Affairs in 2004 were:
- Maori women have equality with other women and with Maori men, with a particular focus on pay equity
- Maori women participate fully in society, with a key focus on participation in education and decision making in the workforce, government and wider society
- The special role of Maori women in society is recognised and valued, consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi
- Maori women are empowered
- The government works in genuine partnership with Maori women
- Mothers, and particularly sole mothers, are supported by their families, friends, community and wider society
- Maori women are safe from physical harm
The resounding priorities are health, education and housing with high levels of support for focusing on whanau development. [4]
I believe that it critical to CTU Maori workers that we remain staunchly committed to the social and economic rights of Maori women.
Let us all celebrate wahine toa and the explosion of active wahine in the workforce. We are at the threshold of Maori development that insists we value and recognise that Maori women need to have access to participating in all levels of society, and should have the freedom to make choices and those choices be valued.
I hope that in our discussions throughout this hui we will be able to recommend a pathway forward for the continued valuing of Maori women by the CTU.
Child Poverty:
I would like to talk a little about the MakePovertyHistory Campaign that I actively participate in on behalf of the CTU. I believe this campaign is tremendously important to the wellbeing and future of the Maori nation.
This campaign commenced at the beginning of the year throughout the world as a consequence of the Global Call to Action against Poverty that was made immediately after the Tsunami.
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY Aotearoa New Zealand is calling for:
- Drop the Debt (the immediate cancellation of debt of the most impoverished countries and fair and transparent arbitration processes.
- More and Better Aid (Aotearoa committing to spending 0.7% of Gross national income on overseas aid)
- Trade Justice (Fairly negotiated international trade rules and an end to unfair trade practices that benefit the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor)
- An End to Child Poverty in New Zealand ( Ensuring that all children are provided with the basic necessities of life, including warmth, housing, adequate nutrition, healthcare and educational opportunities)
Trade Union support can make a major difference in getting progress in these four areas which are vitally important to poverty reduction.
As Guy Ryder the General Secretary of the International Council for Trade Unions said
“Trade Unions have a dual role in helping governments achieve the Millennium Development goals. Working at the grassroots in factories and workplaces, they have the potential to mobilise massive public support for action on poverty. They also have the benefit of first hand experience of the contribution productive employment can make to poverty reduction”
Trade Union Organisations can play a vital role at national level in the mobilisation of workers to apply pressure on governments informing them that their workers want more and better jobs in order to achieve and end to poverty.
Did you know that there is a clear connection between poverty of women and the poverty of children.
We cannot avoid the fact that poor mothers and child poverty are inescapably tied together. With 29% of all children and 66% of the children of sole parents (who are mainly women) below the poverty line.
This tells us very clearly that something is terribly wrong.
It is important for us to understand that poverty does exist in this country.
It is more than three times as likely for families with incomes under $15,000 to have ‘poor’ or ‘not so good’ health.
Without a substantial increase in income, families continue to hover around the poverty threshold.[5]
This is a call in favour of well paid work chosen by parents because it meets their family income needs and their own desire to develop and use their skills in the paid workforce; and a call against compulsion for the poor to take low paid and insecure jobs that impose pressures on their children and their work as parents.
It is also timely to ask why we as women have allowed poor women and their children to suffer so much in the last 20 years.
The latest Social Report 2004 estimates that child poverty sits at around 29% under the 60% after housing costs line, so that about 300,000 children under 18 are in poverty. Despite some improvement by 1998 this is still twice as bad as the bad showing in the late 1980s.
NZ is the fourth worst in the developed world for Child Poverty. A recent OECD report found one-sixth of New Zealand children are being raised in poverty – a higher rate than in all but three of the world's 26 rich nations. Many of these families will be Maori. Poverty remains the key barrier to our rangatahi (youth) developing the skills for our collective economic advancement.”
So in conclusion I would like to ask you all to ponder over the next couple of days what the Maori workforce will look like in 10 years time. We have an aging population in this country and a young Maori population. We need to consider both groups in our discussions. Where will the 16-24 year age group be in 10 years? Where will the 25-65 year age group be in 10 years.
Will poverty and impoverishment continue to affect so many of our whanau, or will we be a strong, healthy, dynamic workforce in demand throughout the world. Will we hear Maori workers are wanted everywhere at every level of employment not only in this country but sought after throughout the world. Will we hear echoes throughout the globe saying the best employees are Maori. We have had that reputation and I believe can revitalise it again.
With us working together we will be Te Kauae Kai Mahi.
No reira nga kauae kai mahi
Mauri mahi, Mauri Ora
[1] NZNO website
[2] (2003,Rev Maori Marsden, The Woven Universe, pg 78-79)
[3] C Beaumont speech to labour party caucus 2005
[4] Ministry of Womens Affairs 2004
[5] Susan St John 2004
