Are you prepared for the IRD strike?

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Forums › Politics › Are you prepared for the IRD strike?

MikeAqua

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#238252 9-Jul-2018 12:25

IRD employees strike for two hours today (you'll still have to pay taxes on wages earned during the strike period).

Remember - get ready, get through.

How are you preparing for this nation-disrupting event?

Mike

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#2051944 9-Jul-2018 13:05

I was all ready to take a thermos full of milo and some shrewsbury bikkies to show support, but as they're not a registered charity and that's not a deductible expense, I decided to guzzle the lot myself.

More seriously, I do know someone who works for IRD (and has been there all his working life). If the stories I hear about how "restructure" is being implemented are true (probably - I trust my "anonymous source"), then people should perhaps rethink any assumption that they may have had that state service employees have it sweet compared to those in the private sector. That's something that some senior public service managers seem to have an ideological position on - and seem to make pains to over-compensate and behave in an exceedingly callous manner, lest the public service is accused of being soft.

Geektastic

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#2051961 9-Jul-2018 13:37

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

MikeAqua

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#2052010 9-Jul-2018 13:54

Fred99:

More seriously, I do know someone who works for IRD (and has been there all his working life). If the stories I hear about how "restructure" is being implemented are true (probably - I trust my "anonymous source"), then people should perhaps rethink any assumption that they may have had that state service employees have it sweet compared to those in the private sector.

I have no view on the justification for the strike but a two hour action is unlikely to have any impact.

Something that is odd ... managers at MBIE aren't allowed to ask employees who are PSA members whether they will observe the strike. A number of my friend's direct reports have advised they won't be observing the strike, because it would be too disruptive to their work. A lot of PSA members aren't really union people but sign up because the collective agreement is a reasonably good one.

Mike

Varkk

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#2052105 9-Jul-2018 16:24

Geektastic:

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

You don't get paid when on strike.

itxtme

2102 posts

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#2052164 9-Jul-2018 18:45

A lot of PSA members aren't really union people but sign up because the collective agreement is a reasonably good one.

The irony of this statement!

MikeAqua

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#2052456 10-Jul-2018 10:01

itxtme:

A lot of PSA members aren't really union people but sign up because the collective agreement is a reasonably good one.

The irony of this statement!

It's true. I know several PSA members who have never belonged to a union in their life, generally dislike unions. But the incentives are pretty strong, so they join up. Some of the benefits in the PSA collective agreement exceed those of managers (barred from membership).

Mike

Geektastic

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#2052476 10-Jul-2018 10:19

Varkk:

Geektastic:

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

You don't get paid when on strike.

She said the staff in her team who did go were of the opposite view!

I suggested she terminate their secondments to her team and replace them with contractors who are not affected..!

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JaseNZ

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#2052847 10-Jul-2018 18:15

It would have been the most productive 2 hours ever achieved at the ird.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

Geektastic

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#2053017 11-Jul-2018 00:04

Mspec:

It would have been the most productive 2 hours ever achieved at the ird.

You may be right!

I bet "I did not pay my taxes because you lot were slacking off on strike" won't work though.

BarTender

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#2061507 24-Jul-2018 09:30

MikeAqua:

itxtme:

A lot of PSA members aren't really union people but sign up because the collective agreement is a reasonably good one.

The irony of this statement!

It's true. I know several PSA members who have never belonged to a union in their life, generally dislike unions. But the incentives are pretty strong, so they join up. Some of the benefits in the PSA collective agreement exceed those of managers (barred from membership).

So so so much irony in the above statement... Hate Unions, never belong to them (but isn't being part of the PSA mean you are a Union member?), but the incentives are "pretty strong" so against their own ability to sign an individual contract for less they are forced against their will to sign up to the Union.

It's almost like Unions are trying to get the best deal for their members as part of a collective contract negotiations rather than individual contracts.

And yet don't see any causation......

Hilarious.

RogerThat

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#2061526 24-Jul-2018 09:46

Varkk:

Geektastic:

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

You don't get paid when on strike.

Did not know that. Thats really unacceptable in this day and age. If a worker is striking because of low pay and working conditions, its only acceptable that they also get paid.

MikeAqua

7773 posts

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#2061548 24-Jul-2018 09:58

BarTender:

MikeAqua:

It's true. I know several PSA members who have never belonged to a union in their life, generally dislike unions. But the incentives are pretty strong, so they join up. Some of the benefits in the PSA collective agreement exceed those of managers (barred from membership).

So so so much irony in the above statement... Hate Unions, never belong to them (but isn't being part of the PSA mean you are a Union member?), but the incentives are "pretty strong" so against their own ability to sign an individual contract for less they are forced against their will to sign up to the Union.

It's almost like Unions are trying to get the best deal for their members as part of a collective contract negotiations rather than individual contracts.

And yet don't see any causation......

Hilarious.

I suspect you're over-interpreting. I'm talking about people who have never belonged to a union prior to getting job in a govt dept and joining the PSA. That is: the behaviour is uncharacteristic for them.

One of the people I'm referring to, worked through the 'strike' at her organisation this week and was actually complaining about the noise made by protesters (her fellow union members) outside distracting her from her work.

Compare that to E Tu (formerly SFWU), where union membership is a way of life and source of identity. For example: In one former workplace SFWU members threatened to strike because they couldn't wear pin on "I'm union" badges while working on a food production line (for food safety reasons).

Compared to that, the PSA is a rather mild-mannered union.

Mike

clevedon

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#2061564 24-Jul-2018 10:18

RogerThat:

Varkk:

Geektastic:

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

You don't get paid when on strike.

Did not know that. Thats really unacceptable in this day and age. If a worker is striking because of low pay and working conditions, its only acceptable that they also get paid.

Yeah, that'll work.

Instead of going on strike unpaid for two hours like the IRD workers are - lets strike for a week or two or even a month, we're getting paid for it.

RogerThat

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#2061574 24-Jul-2018 10:24

clevedon:

RogerThat:

Varkk:

Geektastic:

I imagine we will still have to pay taxes to pay the wages of the striking employees as well!

My wife is contracting there at the moment and is most assuredly NOT on strike!

You don't get paid when on strike.

Did not know that. Thats really unacceptable in this day and age. If a worker is striking because of low pay and working conditions, its only acceptable that they also get paid.

Yeah, that'll work.

Instead of going on strike unpaid for two hours like the IRD workers are - lets strike for a week or two or even a month, we're getting paid for it.

Well if the workers were getting what they deserved they would not be on strike would they? IRD workers are effectively paying themselves, they pay tax too just like everybody else.

GV27

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#2061582 24-Jul-2018 10:39

RogerThat:

Well if the workers were getting what they deserved they would not be on strike would they? IRD workers are effectively paying themselves, they pay tax too just like everybody else.

That certainly wouldn't cause total industrial collapse at all, would it? People could just nominate themselves on strike with full pay and automatically get it? God help us.

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