May Day in New Zealand

Today is May Day, the workers' holiday. But in New Zealand a new form of feudalism is being introduced, with low wages and no rights for workers. In recent days it has transpirs that NZ has one of the worst records for industrial accidents

Protest as youth rates come into force

BusinessNZ has attacked unions taking industrial action over youth rates, claiming the new ''starting out'' wage will help the young

Stuff,

1 May,, 2013

The youth wage - $11 for six months - is 80 per cent of the $13.75 an hour adult minimum wage.

Pak N Save's Royal Oak supermarket has been the target of protests linked to the reintroduction of lower wages for young workers this morning, as well as the break down of wage talks with the FIRST Union.

But BusinessNZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly said picketing against a lawful activity ''is not what unions should be doing", claiming it damaged the employment prospects for the young.

He defended youth rates.

"A young unskilled person is disadvantaged in competing against more experienced and trained people in the labour market. Starting wages help young people gain experience and better equip them to be able to compete on stronger terms."

'STARTING OUT' WAGE

The new ''starting out'' wage mean employers can, from this morning, International Workers Day, pay 16 and 17-year-olds 20 per cent less, as well as 18 and 19-year-olds who have been on a benefit for six months.

"It will give employers a real incentive to take on our youngest and most inexperienced workers and provide them with the skills and work experience they need," Labour Minister Simon Bridges said in February.

But unions and Opposition MPs have attacked the plan, claiming there was no evidence the new rates would stimulate employment and would instead simply lower the living standards of the lowest paid workers.

A number of major chains have already vowed not to introduce the new rates, but Pak n Save and its owners Foodstuffs has become a target for action, after confirming it was interested in using the lower rates.

This morning FIRST Union members from Pak n Save Royal Oak were stopping work and will meet with workers from five other Pak n Save supermarkets, and from Foodstuffs' two Auckland distribution centres, the union said in a statement.

As well as protesting against youth rates, the protest also focuses on the breakdown of pay talks which have been underway since September, said Maxine Gay, retail secretary for FIRST Union.

"In all these months they have offered no payrise, and are trying their hardest to bring in youth rates."

Today's protest will be attended by a number of advocacy groups.

Sarah Thompson of Auckland Action Against Poverty claims that while the wages were aimed at the young, they would be used to lower pay generally.

"We know that as time goes by older workers will simply be displaced by younger ones at lower wages, shuffling people on and off the dole queue,'' Thompson said.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union's assistant national secretary Ged O'Connell said employers should focus on good selection and training rather than taking a chance.

''They're sort of putting young people in a lottery. What that means is they can pay them less, take a chance, put them on the job. If it works, that's great, if it doesn't work they sack them and get rid of them and do it at a low cost.''

Opposition MPs have also attacked the plan, with Labour's Darien Fenton dubbing the bill ''draconian''.

"Paying young workers to do the same job less just because of their age is discriminatory and unfair and will have little, if any, impact on youth employment levels,'' Fenton said in February.

As usual, the Radio NZ headline gives prominence to the government position

PM defends lower youth pay rate

Prime Minister John Key is defending the new youth wage, saying there is a group of people that need a helping hand to get a job.

Radio NZ,

1 May, 2013

From Wednesday, employers will be able to pay 16- and 17-year-olds and people aged 18 and 19 who have been on a benefit for longer than six months a lower rate.

The starting out wage will be set at $11 an hour, which is 80% of the adult minimum wage ($13.75).

The Government says the move is to encourage employers to take on young workers who might not otherwise have been given the opportunity.

Opponents have criticised it as a backwards step for industrial relations, but Mr Key said the lower wage tips the balance in favour of young people.

"For a lot of employers, they will go out there and say, 'I'm going to give somebody a go that's been in the workforce before' and so the balance is against that younger person. That's very disheartening for them - they are good young people, they just want a chance.

"So I think it's got to be seen in perspective - the vast overwhelming bulk of youngsters actually won't go on a starting out wage."

Mr Key said when youth rates were abolished in 2008, it put thousands of young people out of work.

Business New Zealand believes the new pay rate will encourage employers to hire young people and give them work experience and skills.

Chief executive Phil O'Reilly said it provides an incentive to employers. And if young people don't get on the employment ladder, it causes significant social problems.

However, Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said the change will impoverish young people who are already in unstable, poorly-paid jobs and working long hours.

James Sleep of the Same Work, Same Pay campaign said the new rate would create genuine hardship for young people and the Government needs a strategy to create jobs and boost wages for young people.

Supermarket targeted in protest

A supermarket retail chain was targeted by unionists over youth rates on Wednesday. Two dozen people joined a First Union protest outside a Pak'nSave store in Auckland.

Spokesperson Maxine Gay said the introduction of youth rates will see older workers displaced by younger ones.

Pak'nSave spokesperson Antoinette Shallue said there has been no decision yet to introduce youth rates. However its parent company Foodstufffs says it is open to new initiatives to boost youth employment in its stores.

Disaster capitalism

"The End of the Kiwi way of life"

Seemorerocks

Nicky Hager's 2006 book the Hollow Men should really become required reading for those who want to understand the political process and how we have reached this situation of “inverted totalitarianism: whereby lip service is paid to democracy and democratic principles, but in reality we have a crypto-totalitarian fusing of corporations and government.

"Inverted totalitarianism, unlike classical totalitarianism, does not revolve around a demagogue or charismatic leader. It finds expression in the anonymity of the Corporate State. It purports to cherish democracy, patriotism, and the Constitution while manipulating internal levers.”

- Chris Hedges    

Hager looks at Don Brash's leadership of the NZ National Party and the process by which they wished to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate to introduce their own Right-wing agenda.

This became the template for the government led by John Key – from manipulation of the media, the repitition of certain messages like mantras, the painting of a “reasonable” middle-of-the-road leader in the first term – and then the rapid introduction of a rightist agenda after the election when the Party has its "mandate"
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This week the same Don Brash has called for the government to turn a blind eye to illegal migrants working on the Christchurch rebuild.(and see HERE)

He needn't have bothered as there seems to already be a legalised situation whereby Asian workers can come in on fully legal 90-day visas, their services “offered” - working 7 days-a-week at below the minimum wage.

This is no accident, but a bit of social emgineering designed to introduce the same form of neo-feudalism that is being practised in the world, whereby a tiny minority of ultra-rich control resources, helped by a a class of well-paid helpers and administrators.

The remainder are “proles” who hang on to a basic living by the skin of their teeth.

Don Brash, John Key do not have any real commitment to this country other than to their ueber-rich friends in Wall Street. They are traitors to this country.

In this following segment from Radio New Zealand a plasterer from Auckland who has been in business for 50 years explains the situation in plain language – and I fully resonate with his sentiments and with his impatience with the NZ media for not investigating what is a scandalous situation – what he accurately describes as “the destruction of the New Zealand way of life”

The people who follow him on the programme are clearly part of the problem.

Here is the interview -

Should the Government turn a blind eye to illegal immigrant workers

Should the Government turn a blind eye to illegal immigrant workers, to hasten Christchurch rebuild and meet housing demand? With Don Hitchens - Auckland-based plastering contractor. Warwick Quinn - Chief Executive of the Registered Master Builders Federation. Mark Graham - Publisher of The Building Guide and industry magazine BoB - The Business of Building.

On John Key, Peter Jackson and "the Hobbit"

Peter Jackson’s “Precious”…

Frank McSkasy

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Frankly Speaking,

28 November, 2012

Today was the premiere of the first movie in “The Hobbit” trilogy.

I was not about to comment on todays events. For me, the shine has long since corroded from the Ring Trilogy and the “Hobbit” that came after.

Events surrounding the industrial dispute; the mass hysteria that followed; the vilification of actors who stood with Actor’s Equity; the demonisation of trade unionists; the the carefully crafted manipulation of public hysteria by some very skilled creators of illusion; the actions of National in unilaterally changing employment law – all left a sour taste in my mouth.

Whilst I loved the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy; the talents of actors, technicians, director and producer, and all the other fantastically imaginative craftsmen and woman who contributed to one of the most epic movies of this century -  I can no longer share those same feelings with “The Hobbit”.

As with our fraudulent claim to be “100% Pure”, there is something about “The Hobbit” which is a sham.

Unlike the “Lord of the Rings”, “The Hobbit” is not the product of Kiwi ingenuity. It is the product of back-room deals; media manipulation; and political-corporate connivance.

Have a look at TV3′s report today into the tumultuous  background of  “The Hobbit”, when Hollywood Hell broke loose in our country,

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To see video GO HERE

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Note Peter Jackson’s comment @ 1:27,

“We are now being given signs that they [Hollywood producers] are looking very seriously about shifting [the Hobbit].”

Source: Ibid

That was a lie.

We know it was a lie.

We know it was a lie because Peter Jackson admitted it in an email to National’s Economic Development Minister, Gerry Brownlee, on 18 October 2010,

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Sir Peter Jackson told the Government he did not believe an international actors’ boycott would force The Hobbit overseas, emails show.

The message, sent to the office of Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee on October 18, is in stark contrast to comments the film-maker made earlier in the month.

On October 1, he said: “The Hobbit is being punished with a boycott which is endangering thousands of New Zealand jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign income, for no good reason.”

Sir Peter dismissed the idea that movie production was moving overseas because it was cheaper to make films there.

“It’s completely absurd! Eastern Europe is only being considered because a minority group of the New Zealand acting community have invoked union action that has blacklisted our film, making it impossible to shoot in New Zealand.”

But on October 18, Sir Peter said the boycott had nothing to do with the movies potentially moving overseas.

“There is no connection between the blacklist (and it’s eventual retraction) and the choice of production base for The Hobbit,” he wrote.

“What Warners requires for The Hobbit is the certainty of a stable employment environment and the ability to conduct its business in such as way that it feels its $500 million investment is as secure as possible.”

The October 18 email also suggests Sir Peter thought the boycott had been lifted, even though he said in television interviews three days later he was unsure if it had been officially ditched.

Sir Peter declined to comment through a spokesman yesterday.

See: Sir Peter: Actors no threat to Hobbit

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And Fairfax Media reported,

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The email showed Warner Bros wanted ”stability” to film the movies in New Zealand and was worried about ”grey areas” of employment law.

The Government secured the movies in October by an urgent amendment to the law which prevented independent contractors from claiming entitlements as employees, as well as an agreement to increase the tax concession for big screen productions.

The report said the email was signed ”Peter J” – apparently director Sir Peter Jackson – and was sent to the office of Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee who was involved in the negotiations with Warner Bros.

   
It said there was no connection between Actors’ Equity union action against The Hobbit movies and choice of location, which contradicted government statements at the time – which were that Warner Bros was concerned about strife caused by the blacklisting of the movies because of a row over collective pay conditions.

See: Union: Protest did not affect Hobbit decision

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It was all a giant con. And we, as a country, were the ones being conned.

Because three days later, on 21 October 2010, Jackson issued  a Press Release stating,

“Next week Warners are coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore. It appears we cannot make films in our own country even when substantial financing is available.”

See: Warner preparing to take Hobbit offshore – Sir Peter

Peter Jackson knew full well was unlikely that  Warner Bros would move “The Hobbit”, for several practical, hard-nosed reasons.  Which Jackson duly shared with Gerry Brownlee.

Unfortunately, neither Brownlee nor Jackson shared that information with the rest of the country, and the mounting public hysteria gave John Key and National the ‘mandate’ they needed to act decisively.

The country panicked; and National used the opportunity to play “hero” by saving the day. It was like a Hollywood  scripted movie. (Though, for the life of me, I’m not sure that the “good guys” won.)

In 48 hours, National rammed through legislation amending the law covering all workers in the movie and television entertainment industry. The Bill was introduced on 28 October. It gained Royal Assent on 29 October. The fastest piece of legislation enacted since politicians voted themselves generous superannuation entitlements, late one night, in the 1980s.

See: Employment Relations (Film Production Work) Amendment Act 2010 – Legislative history

At the stroke of a pen – similar to a Decree issued by a lone despot in some authoritarian regime – National unilaterally changed workers from being employees to sub-contractors.

The resulting change was stark;

• Employees can negotiate collectively for a collective agreement
  
  
• Sub-contractors cannot

• Employees had minimum wage; sick pay; holiday pay; appropriate employment/termination protections; etc.
  
  
• Sub-contractors do not.
  
  

The government got what it wanted; public support through a bit of Union bashing, and preliminary legislative attacks on de-unionisation of the workforce. (See: New industrial relations laws rewrite labour rules)

Warner Bros got what they wanted; more money (courtesy of the taxpayer) and de-unionisation of “The Hobbit” workforce.

Peter Jackson got what he wanted; an irritation out of his life.

In a way, I don’t blame Peter Jackson – despite his masterful manipulation of public opinion and reaffirming (if re-affirmation was ever required) that we can be a nation of sheep.

Peter Jackson is a talented, imaginative artist who can create the most visually stunning images on a screen. He is, in most likelihood, a genius.

Unfortunately, geniuses are often so focused; so obssessed; and so fixated on their work, that they will disregard all others around them. A genius is all-consumed with his work, to the detriment of others.

In this case, Peter Jackson identifies utterly with his projects; immersing himself in childhood fantasies that he now has the power to bring to life – albeit a two-dimensional “life” on the big screen.

In doing so, he swats aside any irritation that might distract him from his work.

Actors Equity was such a distraction, and Jackson used his masterful skills at perception-manipulation  to rid himself of that irritation. He had the power – so he used it.

He’s not evil or tyrannical or nasty.

He’s simply a boy who never quite grew up and realised that he could fulfill all his childhood fantasies.

Unfortunately, in doing so, and like many other obessively-dedicated geniuses before him – he has hurt many people in the process.

Will I go to see “The Hobbit”? I really don’t know.

But if I do, it won’t be the same as “Lord of the Rings”.

The illusion will be broken -  the suspension of disbelief (film makers and writers  will understand what I’m referring to).

Because all the while, there will be the spirit of a little boy who never quite grew up; holding on to his childhood fantasies; and murmuring ‘my precious‘, as he never lets go.

'the Hobbit'

The world premier of 'the Hobbit' is coming up this week in Wellington.

While I hope that people enjoy the movie people have to be aware of the dark side of the making of this movie – it involves the sovereignty of New Zealand

The dark side of 'the Hobbit'
Colluding with Hollywood

Book slams Govt's accommodating position to Warners with The Hobbit

TV3.

27 November, 2012

If you haven't heard, one of the biggest films of the year premiers in New Zealand next week – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

While it's on track to make millions, it has faced its fair share of controversy, including a damning new book out this weekend.

All has not been quiet in the shire recently, and now there is a new book out about the union disputes from two years ago.

Author Jonathan Handel, an American entertainment attorney and journalist, is critical of Prime Minister John Key's negotiating skills.

“I have to ask myself, ‘did he know how to interact with the big boys?’” says Mr Handel. “Because Warners flew down like colonial masters and the Government paid for the limos.”

Mr Handel notes that MP Trevor Mallard said at the time it's the sort of behaviour you'd expect in Fiji, not New Zealand.

“And it really is extraordinary. You are going to come down and negotiate hardball with us and we are going to lay out the red carpet and lay down on the carpet.”

The Hobbit has had its fair share of setbacks. 
 

Fans and journalists were generally left cold when they saw early footage of the film, shot in 48 frames per second. That's double what you’re used to seeing at the movies, so initially it looks more like a cheap TV show than an epic film.

Bloggers were puzzled, one calling it a “soap opera look” or a “video look”.

In reaction, Warner Bros have dramatically decreased the number of screens showing The Hobbit in 48 frames per second.

Then there was more drama, with PETA claims about the ill treatment of animals on set and, as usual, the Tolkien Estate suing to the tune of $98 million, saying the film's producers have overstepped what they're allowed to do with merchandise. 
 

Of course Warners will be laughing regardless. When Hobbit tickets went on pre-sale in the United States, they outsold Skyfall and Twilight instantly.

To see video GO HERE

To see a background to events in 2010 GO HERE

 

After having rollen out the red carpet and given into Warner Bros' demands and smashed the union, PM Key was back in Hollywood a month or so ago ready to give up Kim Dotcom and bend over for Hollywood

 

Hollywood moguls press Key for bigger NZ subsidies

The Government is under pressure to raise the 15 per cent subsidy it offers to lure foreign film and television companies, to compete with an Australian proposal raised by Hollywood heavyweights who dined with the Prime Minister this week.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10838732

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As a horse lover this really bothered me. Peter Jackson, not surprisingly denied the whole thing while the SPCA 'could not' find evidence of cruelty - apart from the fact that they were looking at this months after the event they wouldn't have anything to say about cruel practices like hobbling of horses

‘The Hobbit’: Unexpected Cruelty

PETA,

New Zealand has been buzzing with excitement at the upcoming release of The Hobbit, but disturbing allegations of a slew of animal deaths on set have left a dark shadow over the film’s release. While audiences will see an adventure story set in a fantasy world, for the animals involved in the filming the abuse and neglect that they experienced were far too real. In all, five horses, 12 chickens, a pony, and several goats and sheep were allegedly maimed or killed, and according to whistleblowers, all these incidents could have been prevented if director Peter Jackson’s lead trainer and the head of production had fulfilled their duties and heeded the warnings of several wranglers.


Reports of animal neglect coming from whistleblowers include the story of a horse named Shanghai who was hobbled (his legs were tied together so that he couldn’t move) and left on the ground for three hours because he was too energetic for his rider. Afterward, in order to hide his rope burns for filming, his legs were covered with makeup and hair. Hobbling is an outright violation of the American Humane Association’s (AHA) guidelines.


More alleged abuse took place where the animals were housed, with one horse killed and another injured after being placed with two highly strung geldings, despite concerns that the geldings would be too aggressive. Another horse was reportedly killed after falling off an embankment in a severely crowded paddock. Yet another horse died when the horses were moved to the stables, probably from colic, an extremely painful illness, after being fed large amounts of food that he wasn’t used to.


After this incident, the horses were reportedly moved back to the paddocks, where another horse had the skin and muscles of her leg torn away by wire fencing. It has also been reported that several goats and sheep died from worm infestations and from falling into the sinkholes that covered the farm, and 12 chickens were mauled and killed by unsupervised dogs or trampled by other animals when left unprotected.


It is astonishing that these events could happen when the unit production manager was warned by his wranglers and the production was monitored by the AHA! Even more astonishing is that this movie was directed by Peter Jackson, a master at computer-generated imagery (CGI). In a movie that features CGI dragons, ogres, and hobbits, CGI animals would have fit in perfectly.


Jackson could have made The Hobbit without using a single animal—and he should have. Hurting and killing animals for the sake of a movie is unacceptable, not to mention preventable. And in the end, animals are not ours to use for entertainment or any other purpose.

UPDATE:

I  am reproducing some comments from Facebook - naturally, at this stage unsubstantiated.


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It gets even darker than that, if you research it.

New Line raised hundreds of millions of dollars in capital to film LOTR via the BNZ, who secured the money from Kiwi investors. LOTR grossed $3 billion internationally, but "lost money" on paper after all of the profits were siphoned off to the Cayman Islands.

The BNZ made tens of millions in fees alone for raising the money on the local market, but the only ones who lost were the Kiwi investors.

You will never hear Sir Peter or John Key acknowledging this but it is a historical fact.

Even Allan Hubbard invested millions in LOTR and was ripped off. 

 

He spent two years fighting in court to get it back and was eventually forced to settle for a few hundred thousand dollars as compensation - only a small percentage of what he had invested.

Many other wealthy New Zealanders lost money on LOTR. Someone should research it and make people aware.

Even Peter Jackson had to sue the producers for royalties he was entitled to after LOTR, but he still went back and worked for them, such was his desire to make movies, obviously.

There is an extremely dark underbelly to the history of LOTR and the Hobbit.

"South Canterbury Finance invested $30 million in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, only to have New Line produce accounts showing that the movies did not make a profit, but made "horrendous losses". According to SCF CEO Allan Hubbard: "We found it surprising because it was one of the biggest box office success of all time."[15] (The three films rank 5th, 18th and 25th on the list of Highest Grossing Movies.)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Line_Cinema