5 September, 2008

The EPMU's Work Rights Wage Drive wrapped up last week with a total of 16,500 union members turning out to over 25 rallies nationwide in the month of August.

The last two rallies in Auckland were the tour's largest, with 2,500 turning out in the North Shore and a massive 6,000 members in Manukau filling TelstraClear Pacific Stadium beyond capacity.

Each rally also unanimously endorsed the EPMU's Work Rights Checklist, which lays out the rights needed to win higher wages and better protections at work.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says the Wage Drive has given the EPMU a strong democratic mandate from workers to campaign on this election.

"In the last month we've had thousands of members unanimously endorse a six-point work rights checklist for our union to campaign on and judge all political parties this election.

"Our members have told us their work rights are vital to increasing their wages and improving their lives and their families' lives.

"We'll be giving every political party the opportunity to measure their work rights policies against our checklist and we'll be taking that response back to all of our members and every working New Zealander we can reach.

"Work rights and wages are a defining political issue this year and we expect political parties will be listening to the voice of thousands of New Zealand workers."

EPMU delegate and National Executive member Mahendra Singh is a delegate at NZ Post and is on the union's national executive. He spoke at the 6000-strong Manukau Wage Drive Rally and says it was all about solidarity.

"What was great was how everyone got together with one voice regardless of what union they belong to and that there were members from all cultures and backgrounds getting together as workers.

"For me it was a real show of how we are never divided even though there are elements out there who want us to be."

For more information about the Wage Drive and the Work Rights campaign, or to sign up as a work rights activist, visit www.workrights.org.nz. Photos from each rally can be found at the EPMU's flickr site here.