Paid by the hour means just that
Finally it appears the common business practice of forcing staff paid by the hour to work over their allotted hours without pay is to be challenged by unions. That unreasonable employment practice is criminal and immoral.
Many folk seem to react to this blatant crime with an ‘‘Oh well, that’s business’’ shrug of the shoulders. That so many people accept a large company choosing to not pay for time worked is quite remarkable. The fundamental principle of paid per hour work is being paid for all time worked.
Company managers and executives know it is wrong. The courts will most decisively tell them so. I wish those companies what they deserve, a hefty fine and public shaming. We should see the issue of restoring the Catholic Cathedral from the Bishop’s perspective, and persuade him that the $40 million he is contemplating spending on a new building nearer to the centre of town would not have the return on investment in terms of fulfilling Catholic ministry as getting the nave of the existing building back into use would.
One of the fundamental roles of the priest is to help those who have been knocked about by life. The restored nave with its broken exterior would get many more people through its doors than the bland dull corporatist edifice of so many churches today. The appalling weather for the Crusaders/SunWolves game recently was like watching a potential disaster unfolding. Playing sport in hail, lightning and then heavy rain showed that the temporary metal stadium is totally unsuitable for public events. Not only were the players at risk of lightning strikes but the thousands of loyal Crusader fans huddled at the back of metal grandstands could also have been injured.
The Christchurch City Council had the insurance money for the rebuild long ago and has probably used it for other projects like the proliferatlon of empty cycleways.
In order to bring crowds and international events back into the Central City, a new covered stadium should have been an urgent priority – not an afterthought for a Council that is obsessed with planning for the future and ignoring the present. Like the early miners Amy Adams is in danger of undercutting so much she’ll be engulfed by the pay dirt before the gold is exposed. Her opinion piece ‘‘A Budget of poor choices’’ ought correctly have been called ‘‘different choices’’. Adams happily took the $1000 odd tax cut awarded her by National but is sore about some firewood money from Labour? If it troubles her so much she can readily donate it to the Sallies or a pensioner in Southbridge.
Was her government’s $11 million donation to a wealthy Saudi farmer a good choice? Was $26 million thrown at a poorly executed flag referendum a good choice? Was further shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to the poor by increasing the rate of GST a good choice? I think not, so for these and many other issues I voted Labour for the first time since 1984. Contrary to John Fletcher’s assertion (Letters, May 16) that there were no policies against Ma¯ ori language being spoken and taught in schools since 1877, there is evidence denying this. The late Dr Ranginui Walker states that the Inspector of Native Schools instruction to teachers to encourage children to speak only English in school playgrounds ‘‘was translated into a general prohibition of the Ma¯ ori language within school precincts’’.
Moreover, although Sir Apirana Ngata initially saw this policy as the way forward for Ma¯ ori to gain access to
Pa¯ keha¯ culture and the professions, he later changed his views on seeing the destablising effect this schooling had on Ma¯ ori culture.