Rebuild Better is E tū’s campaign to make sure that workers and out communities are at the heart of the COVID-19 recovery.
Rebuild Better is all about taking action, telling our stories, providing useful information, and making sure our union influences the next steps our country takes.
Our campaign is guided by 5 key principles (click each principle to read more):
- Prioritise community health and safety [link]
- No workers left out of pocket [link]
- Keep and create decent jobs [link]
- Union members involved in all decisions [link]
- Fair pay and conditions to end inequality for all [link]
Similarly, E tū has developed our expectations for a decent recovery:
- Wage-led growth
To achieve wage led growth out of the crisis and a just transition for workers.
- Fair Pay Agreements are a key delivery mechanism to achieve decent work standards.
- Living wage, pay equity settlements and industry bargaining support an equitable rebuild.
- State support for firms is tied to a transition plan for workers in target sectors.
- Social procurement enables secure Living Wage jobs across the state sector.
- There is a national job redeployment scheme.
- Industry plans have a strong skills and workforce development component.
- Re-build the state
To rebuild the role of the state.
- State-led job creation programmes generate sustainable and decent work.
- Privatization and contracting out of key industries are rolled back.
- Ethical social procurement incorporates employment standards and a central union role.
- The care and support industries are more strongly regulated.
- Infrastructure projects are delivered with an eye to building the state’s capacity to deliver.
- Workers’ voice front and centre
To put workers at the centre of industry transformation with structural mechanisms for unions to have a say in decisions at firm, industry and national levels.
- Unions are resourced to provide worker representation on boards of all essential services and network critical businesses; and Health and safety reps are elected for all businesses.
- Existing government industry policy is rolled out across more industries and quicker.
- There is a national role for unions, to oversee rebuilding, including national jobs agency/scheme, workforce learning and development, training and education for each sector, negotiation of industry standards, infrastructure decisions, procurement decisions.
- Strong Maori communities
To support Māori community development and decent work in Māori enterprises as a central feature of strong Māori communities.
- Rebuild the social safety net
To ensure that that a progressive approach to rebuilding government finances takes place, where the wealthy contribute, and regressive tax policies are resisted.
- The recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group are implemented, including benefit level increases and individualising of benefits.
- Progressive taxation is introduced to rebuild government finances, with a focus on wealth not consumption taxes.
- Strong public services are strengthened to provide stable jobs and incomes.
- Social and state housing is expanded and upgraded.
Who are we?
E ū is a campaigning and organising union, and the largest private sector union in New Zealand. For more information about E tū, visit our main website.