February 11, 2009 1:00pm by David Farrar

CTU on Wages

Combined Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said in an interview yesterday she would not entertain any discussion of an across-the-board wage freeze or pay cuts to help businesses through the recession.

“Any unilateral approach to wages would not be helpful,” she said.

Some businesses were struggling but others remained profitable, and the size of union wage demands would be based on the position of each business, she said.

Well I agree with the CTU. Wage demands should not be across the board, but based on the position of each business. But wasn’t it the EPMU that just a few years ago that was demanding 5% pay rises across the board?

“Shareholders are not saying that because times are tough they will accept a lower dividend.”

Helen Kelly is obviously not a shareholder. Not only are shareholders getting lower dividends, they have had massive drops in their capital value. Shareholders are probably hardest hit. Not geting a pay rise is not the same as losing half your investments.

All parties – workers, employers, shareholders and the Government – should carry an equal burden as they faced the recession, and that included coming up with workplace changes.

This is muddled thinking. Employers and shareholders are effectively the same people. And the Government is not some seperate entity – it is funded by workers and shareholders!