Saturday, June 05, 2010

Marxism, New Zealand Style

As you may or may not be aware, New Zealand is to host the Rugby World Cup next year, and the food and service workers' union, Unite, is going to use the event as a political football, pun intended. I have heard their president, Matt McCarten, on the radio quite often, and he is an unabashed, dyed-in-the-wool leftist, obviously.
Union threatens action during Rugby World Cup

Unite union is threatening industrial action to coincide with next year's Rugby World Cup.

The union's general secretary. Matt McCarten, said the union is planning "a big push" on behalf of its members in hotels, SkyCity Casino and other entertainment venues.

Interviewed for TV3's The Nation, he said current employment agreements had been "lined up" so they were due for renegotiation at about the time of the World Cup.

"We don't want to wreck the World Cup, of course not. But we certainly are going to be lining up the employers at that time and saying: 'Well, you're going to make a lot of money, what's going to be the workers' share?'."

Mr McCarten said he expected employers to be "more focused" ahead of the World Cup.

Unite hoped to be able to convince the public that it would be unfair for foreign-owned hotel chains to charge between $1000 and $2000 per night while continuing to pay workers the minimum or minimal wages.

The union said it would be unacceptable for people to work for less than $15 per hour, and in addition it wanted 10 percent of higher room rates to go into a special fund to be shared amongst workers.
Mr McCarten said millions of dollars of taxpayers' money would contribute to the World Cup's success, and it would be wrong for all profits to go offshore.
Now, those of you in the US need to know that the minimum wage in NZ is already $12.75 per hour, and that is still not enough to get a good number of people off their ass to get a job because in many cases one can get more money by being on a welfare benefit.

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need, indeed.

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14 Comments:

Anonymous Tane said...

Foreign hotel owners should benefit from taxpayer's money going toward the world cup but NEW ZEALANDERS should not ?

You may want to check around, most of us kiwis believe in a fair go and having foreigners keeping all the reward from taxpayers money would rankle.

8:47 PM GMT+12  
Blogger Mae said...

Tane, I will make this simple. I am a Maori and proud of it, as is my hubby. You seem to be intentionally taking everything posted on this site personally, including jokes. As for your comment on this post, here are a few facts. I work in the hospitality industry and have for many, many years - Working for foreigners who pay my weekly wage without fail or problem. I have always received pay increases both earned and for appreciation. I have never in my life heard of such a stupid idea by Unite. They want our wages put up for what, six weeks while games are being played? What do they think these hotel owners are going to do when there are too many employees for the bookings covering the rest of the year? Fire us, buddy, cant pay big wages and keep people employed. Remember most that will be employed will be casuals, temps etc to increase staff levels needed. Also, most of the customers will not be Kiwis in the rooms but foreigners. So are we then expected not to take their monies, as it is so unfair that they will have to pay such high room costs? As for taking 10 percent of profits for the workers, get real. The hospitality industry does not make up all tax payers in NZ, so common sense should tell you that this doesn't make sense.

If you think that only foreign businesses will profit think again. Think about the extra monies that will be made by all companies Kiwi owned or not that will have increased sales and requests for services, not to mention all that extra money that the government will get by way of GST, airport taxes, the list goes on and on.

If you have a problem with companies that are not NZ owned getting richer from Kiwi taxpayers, you may want to follow your beliefs and not buy groceries from any of the food chain stores as they are all owned by foreigners. Don't buy any vehicles. None are made in NZ. Buy a horse.

1:05 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Unknown said...

Oh, Good Lord, Tane! Get a grip on reality, will you? Put away your pitiful "victim" card. There's a reason hotels in New Zealand are foreign owned: it's because your government allows it in the name of free enterprise (plus they collect lots of taxes!)

Why don't you open your own hotel chain, pay all your employees $16 an hour (hell, may as well do better than what the government mandates since it's to benefit "the people") and we'll see how long you stay in business.

Moron!

1:13 AM GMT+12  
Anonymous Lisa said...

Hotels and other for-profit businesses base their pay on how valuable each employee is to their company. Anyone who has studied basic economics knows that employees are expected to generate about three times their salary in terms of output. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to keep them.

3:24 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Steel Turman said...

.......Foreign hotel owners should benefit from taxpayer's money going toward the world cup but NEW ZEALANDERS should not.....?

Is that to say New Zealanders don't own any businesses IN New Zealand?

Why?

I can only surmise, based on your comment, that they must be too fuckin' stupid.

But since I know some Kiwis, personally and they are not (fuckin' stupid) - I therefore, must conclude that particular affliction is limited to you and your ilk alone.

Would I be correct in my diagnosis, sir?

3:52 AM GMT+12  
Anonymous Tane said...

Mae, your husband is Maori ? I do not see his name on the 28th Bat. web site.
His iwi and hapu are what ?

We will have to differ on what is a joke, but as I said, why not try that joke on a real liberal's wife like Harawira's, the outcome would be amusing.

9:21 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Mae said...

Tane, Once again you twist what is written, who said my hubby was Maori, I stated he was proud of me being Maori. Stop with the Harawira references I know him and his brothers along with most Ngapuhi activists. If you knew Maori etiquette you would know that it is the height of rudeness to question anyones whakapapa black or white.

Get over the joke of Michelle Obama, which has nothing to do with being liberal, being black or being a woman, you are acting as if my hubby made the pics. So be offended over the joke, just don't expect apologies. It is called freedom of expression.

9:45 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Mae said...

Tane here is a question for you, Why do you want Hone's wife to be insulted? Is it because you don't like her? Is it a threat of violence? Are you a kid, attempting to scare by using someone you think is stronger? Or is it that you just need others to be involved to try and prove a point? Lol or is he a cuzzie like me?

9:53 AM GMT+12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A threat of violence LOL.
Nope, I would enjoy the explosion by Hone and the searching through immigration records by him to see if there was any grounds to toss your husband out of NZ.

Hone is a hori, well I never.
Proud of being a Maori, why ?

10:22 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Mae said...

What a fool you are. He could search any records he liked. Won't find that taxpayers money was being used for a personal holiday in France with me his wife.

As being Maori is who I am I need to justify nothing. If you have personal self doubt and need to justify being proud of the fact of being Maori, try therapy.

10:32 AM GMT+12  
Anonymous Tane said...

If your husband was consistent he would attack Maori for being bludgers off the state all too often .
Again if he was consistent he would attack the government for their Marxist behavior in handing taxpayers money over to rugby union.
What do we the taxpayers owe the rugby union ?

It is a pity about the number of Maori who state they have right wing beliefs, yet they rush down to sign up with the iwi for the chance of a hand out of taxpayer funds.

11:01 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Mae said...

None of the negatives or hand outs you have expressed concerning Maori apply to me. Your point is what?

Considering this is not the only site Joe writes for, you once again assumed wrongly that he has not expressed the topics of government abuse of taxpayers monies.

I am a libertarian with conservative leanings who definitely does not rush to anyone for handouts, but rather works hard with her hubby to enable a good family lifestyle.

11:45 AM GMT+12  
Blogger Joe Ramen said...

Tane, hell is a place where reason and logic do not exist, and, unfortunately, you have dragged me there to join you.

This is all very amusing to me. Tane, you have issues, buddy, but that's OK. You're a liberal. You can't help it.

There are several ways to go with this to expose your double standards and inconsistencies in your belief system. First, if you find racism so abhorrent, then why do you reference Harawira as some apparent role model of liberalism when he is to any normal, sane individual a racist himself?

Second, as for liberalism itself, isn't that based on tolerance for viewpoints which you may perceive as offensive? Or is your tolerance only for ideas and speech which meet your approval and with which you agree?

Third, this has gone way beyond the pale. To summarize: You were offended about some joke poking fun at MY president's wife. You decided to have a go at me personally and make childish remarks referencing people whom you apparently hold in high esteem but to me mean absolutely nothing.

Fourth, where did anybody refer to Hone as a hori?

Fifth, if you are so offended by what you read here, why don't you simply avoid my site?

Sixth, I warned you before to keep your comments germane to the post in question. If you cannot follow that rule on MY blog, then I will ignore you or ban your comments altogether. I don't mind debate. I don't care what you say. You just have to follow proper procedures while at my website - my house, my rules. Don't like it or can't follow instructions? Then you may kindly fuck off at any time.

Finally, and most important, it is NEVER a good idea to make threats of any kind, veiled or otherwise, to people you don't know.

I know we will probably never agree on anything, but are we clear?

12:03 PM GMT+12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe,Joe, you need to calm down dear boy.
Winding up yank visitors to NZ is just so damn easy.

Calling Hone a hori, well I did that dear boy, after all as a Maori I do have that right.

12:42 PM GMT+12  

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