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Interview with Lina Ericsson

In this episode of the VBC radio Wellington show “The Unnamed Show” Byron Clark interviews Swedish political scientist Lina Ericsson about her research conducted with migrant workers in rural New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme for her thesis ‘The Ni-Vanuatu RSE-Worker: Earning, Spending, Saving, and Sending’
(Jönköping University, Jönköping International Business School, JIBS, Political Science)

Lina’s field work uncovered a number of domestic and international labour law violations which are discussed in this interview, interviews with migrant workers provide an insight into their lives working on New Zealand’s orchards.

Listen here. This is part one of a two part show.

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Wednesday’s at the WEA: Migrant Workers and the RSE Scheme

Introduced in 2006 the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme provides temporary work visas for workers from the Pacific to fill vaccencies in the horticulture and viticulture industries. According to NZAid, New Zealand’s international aid and development agency, the scheme was “designed with the development of Pacific countries and New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries at its heart.” Drawing on field research done by Swedish political scientist Lina Ericsson this presentation will give an insight into the experiences of migrant workers on kiwifruit farms in the rural North Island, while critically examining the RSE scheme in the context of New Zealand’s relationship with the nations of the south Pacific on the issues of trade, development and immigration.

Speaker: Byron Clark
5:30pm, Wednesday September 2
WEA, 59 Gloucester St (map)

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Christchurch Forum: Oppose NZ intervention in Afghanistan

New Zealand soldiers have been deployed in Afghanistan for longer than in any other overseas deployment in the army’s history. Now the government is sending in the SAS again. Whereas most people in NZ opposed the invasion of Iraq by Western powers, many still see Afghanistan as the “good war” and there is little public debate about what is really happening in that country and how Western intervention, including the role played by NZ, has brought new misery to the people of Afghanistan.

Come along and hear what has really been happening in Afghanistan since the invasion at the end of 2001 and why NZ armed forces, along with all other Western armed forces, should be withdrawn.

Monday August 31 7:30pm
WEA, 59 Gloucester St
(map)

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Spark Audio: Interview with Matt McCarten

The Joel Cosgrove Variety Hour interviews Matt McCarten, ex-New Labour Party President and Unite general secretary.
Topics discussed include the split within the Labour Party, the Unite $15 minimum wage campaign as well as more general discussion about Union and its direction.
Download here.

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Picket this Wednesday (Christchurch): Real Jobs not McJobs

The government has made a deal with fast food giant McDonalds that will see young people receiving the unemployment benefit sent to jobs at McDonalds restaurants, and have their training subsidised by the taxpayer. Every beneficiary McDonald’s hires will get the company up to $16,000- the equivalent of about 8 months wages for a McDonalds worker.

Giving people low paying casualised jobs is not the solution to unemployment. This is not a scheme to help the unemployed, it is corporate welfare for a large corporation. As if paying minimum wage wasn’t enough for them, McDonalds gets the state subsidising its wage bill, and WINZ acting as its HR department – McDonalds has an annual staff turn over rate of over 100% because of its low wages and horrendous working conditions.

Come to the picket, let the government know we want REAL JOBS, NOT McJOBS and SOCIAL WELFARE NOT CORPORATE WELFARE
1pm, Wednesday (the 15th) outside WINZ High St, Christchurch Central

Organised by the Workers Rights Campaign.
Contact Byron byroncclark@gmail.com

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Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Solidarity Campaign Launch

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On Wednesday, July 1 at 7pm the Workers Party’s Christchurch branch will be hosting the local launch of our national campaign of material support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The event will be taking place at the WEA, 59 Gloucester St.

The film “Leila Khaled: hi-jacker”, about one of the leading figures of the PFLP, will be shown and there will be a couple of short speeches about the situation in Israel/Palestine and a message from the PFLP will be read.

“This film about a Palestinian woman hijacker challenges our assumptions
about those who resort to violent means in response to oppression and gives us access to the politics of one of the most troubled regions of the twentieth century. It also complicates the current discourse on Islam and terrorism by its deliberation on the meanings of terms such as “terrorist”, interrogating and asking if one person’s terrorist could be another’s freedom fighter. Especially relevant in the context of today’s highly polarized conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine”

Continue reading “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Solidarity Campaign Launch”

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Spark Audio: Interview with Phil Ferguson

The Joel Cosgrove Variety Hour recently interviewed Phil Ferguson who spoke at Workers Resistance 2009 on Karl Korshe and Historical Specificity. As well as Korshe this interview includes discussion of the current economic situation and Marxist economics. Download the MP3 here.