Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
Hospital workers around the country are standing strong as Australian cleaning contractor Spotless Services continues to lock them out of their workplaces.
Yesterday in Tauranga Ex-All Black Robin Brooke, who owns the local New World, sent food and guarantees of 100% support to locked out workers. In Rotorua a Spotless Clown paraded up the main street while throughout the country the union movement offered financial and picketline support. In Wellington a noisy solidarity action was held in support of the locked out workers. [ Read More | Wellington Photos |SFWU Videos ]
Over 400 of the workers, many of whom earn less than 50c more than minimum wage, congregated today outside the Spotless HQ with dozens of old shoes to symbolise the need for District Health Boards across the country not to renew Spotless's contract. [ Read More | Photos ]
Take Action: Email the DHBs | Bloggers for Hospital Workers
Please call 0900 LOCKOUT to make a $10 donation
Links: Service and Food Workers Union | LabourStart
Comments
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
Hi everyone,
I've started a photo essay on Flickr of photos from the Auckland Spotless Lockout here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndu/sets/72157600914729864/show/
and here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndu/sets/72157600786581017/show/
Please reproduce to your hearts content. (Other protest photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndu/
Yours,
SimonO
Re: Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
who gives a fuck?
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
Yesterday (Friday) in Otautahi, there was a dozen people making noise and getting lots of toots of support outside Spotless's office in St Asaph St.
Will attempt to find out when next protest/ collecting happening in Chch and share with you all.
:)
Anna-Claire
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
I have a couple of questions for the Union. Is Spotless a private Contractor to the Hospital? If so, what is the possibility of contracting workers directly with the Health Board?
What do you mean by Lock Out? Is Spotless physically locking workers out? If so, doesn’t this action provide the basis for a legal challenge?
A couple of nights ago, the manager of Spotless stated on TV that workers should not make noises outside, and instead come in and talk.
I am in total support of you guys because workers are deprived from equal pay and status considering the importance of their function in the Health Industry. Besides, it’s a job we all identify with by status and function.
Having Your Cake and Eat it Too
The struggle of opposing ideologies according to conventional beliefs upholds principles of universal consensus that are recognised by allocating provisions to repeal grievances of those deprived and disadvantaged by the conflict.
Traditionally, the ruling class classifies this provision under the circumstances to ensure the struggle is sustained but at the same time a human face of civilisation is portrayed among the peasants and workers alike.
In modern New Zealand, this universal principle is arbitrarily enforced to redirect what was normal provision for the oppressed back to the ruling class, to help themselves. The ruler provides an argument in favour of him/herself decides what's credible and thus redirects resources and wealth for his/her own indulgence. The ruler has his/her cake and eats it too.
It is not a struggle of opposing ends; it is rather a dictate of the predominant class. The workers at the lower end of the stratum are excluded and isolated in poverty. 50% of the population share 5% of the nation's wealth - 'Statistics New Zealand'.
The same aspect is also noted in US literature - Wikipedia; the condensation of wealth is accumulated at the upper layers of class boundaries. The middle class is divided into the upper and lower, aka white and blue collar workers.
This is demonstrated in reality by political self serving policies and favourable appeals by white collar professions for higher wages, while cleaners and labourers are locked out. Provisions have also made it easier for the rich to establish businesses and own property, the poor cannot pass the financial hurdles also erected by high interest rates and other monetary polices or lack of it.
©2007
The New Husband Store
The New Husband Store
A store that sells new husbands has just opened in Romford, where a
Woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance
Is a description of how the store operates:
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value
Of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper
May choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to
The next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men have jobs.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good
Looking.
"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the
Fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and
Help with housework.
"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!" Still, she goes
To the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help
With housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign
Reads:
Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on
This floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible
To please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opens a new wives store
Just across the street.
The first floor has wives that love sex.
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money.
The third through sixth floors have never been visited.
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
"Hospital workers around the country are standing strong as Australian cleaning contractor Spotless Services continues to lock them out of their workplaces."
Who cares which country the company is from. Surely it would be no different if a New Zealand owned company did what Spotless are doing.
This is an important workers struggle, too important to let nationalist shit confuse things.
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
I'm just a rank and file union member, but I'll try and answer your questions.
"Is Spotless a private Contractor to the Hospital?"
Yes
"If so, what is the possibility of contracting workers directly with the Health Board?"
I'm not sure what you mean, there are other contracting companies involved. The contract that is being negotiated is a MECA (multi-employer contract).
"What do you mean by Lock Out?"
The workers are locked out of their workplaces by their employer. It's the boss' version of a strike.
"Is Spotless physically locking workers out?"
Yes, when the lockout started, 2 workers were even arrested trying to go to work.
"If so, doesn’t this action provide the basis for a legal challenge?"
Yes, and I understand they are in the employment court today.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200707231705/spotless_lockout_unlaw...
"A couple of nights ago, the manager of Spotless stated on TV that workers should not make noises outside, and instead come in and talk."
They have repeatedly been talking, this effort has been going on for years, and at the end of the day it was Spotless that locked the workers.
"I am in total support of you guys because workers are deprived from equal pay and status considering the importance of their function in the Health Industry. Besides, it’s a job we all identify with by status and function"
Cool, if you have any money please consider donating $10 on 0900 LOCKOUT. If you have any time please try and make a demo or a picket. For more info www.sfwu.org.nz
- John A
Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
It was good to see on telly last night that the employment court ruled the lock out illegal.
Re: Re: Day 6: "Give Spotless the Boot!"
Good news indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/73390/index.php