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Being Union Web
Being Union Web
Being Union
…and what this means for drivers
The New Zealand Tramways and Public Passenger Transport Employees Union was
founded in 1903. It was founded to represent Tramway employees. The Tramways Union
also represented Council bus drivers in the areas where these services ran in conjunction with
Tram services. Since the 1950s and 60s Trams were replaced by both Trolley and Diesel
buses and today this is who the New Zealand Tramways Union represent. The Tramways
Union has branches in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. The Tramways Union is affiliated
to the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and the Wellington branch has an affiliation with the
Manufacturing and Construction Workers Union.
To uphold and improve the collective rights of drivers-to ensure better and fairer pay, hours
of work, employment security and a fairer, better working life.
Unions exist for workers to support each other so that they don’t have to face a problem, or
negotiate improvements to their working conditions, on their own. When workers act
together they have strength and safety in numbers and have a better chance of getting what
they need at work and beyond.
Unions are democratically run by their members. Union members elect union representatives
(delegates, president, vice president & secretary) from workplaces, and make decisions on
things like how the union is run, and what to focus on when negotiating with the employer.
Through the NZ Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, unions work co-operatively
with each other to improve the position of all New Zealand workers. The benefits most
workers receive today are largely the result of the 120+ Unions that help over 350,000 of us
employees to attain the standard of living we know today in terms of wages, benefits and
working conditions that have been negotiated over the past 120 years.
Everyone has the right to decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity,
security and human dignity. Unions ensure that, as a worker, your voice is heard, your views
are respected and your rights under the law are upheld.
What will our union do for you?
Unions have always played a big role in maintaining and improving pay and conditions of
work – as well as improving employment security, training, accident compensation and
retirement benefits. Joining together in union means we can all continue to work for a
better working life in New Zealand.
We want to build drivers’ power on the job so that: We have a genuine say, genuine input,
into what happens at work for us. We are better at solving drivers’ problems and disputes
with management. We can win a fair Collective Agreement with bus companies that sets
good pay and work conditions for drivers. We can deal with key industry issues that impact
on drivers. For example, we lobby central government for better industry standards for
drivers relating to our pay, hours of work and health and safety.
For more information on how you can receive this offer see your depot
delegate.
I’ll get what you get anyway: Sure, some people on individual agreements end up
getting what union members have negotiated. When you stick your neck out to win
improvements for everyone it’s important to have as much bargaining power as possible –
every single member counts. Also it’s only fair that if you get the benefits you should help
pay for them.
It’ll cost too much: It really pays to belong and stand together. Many drivers see our
union as a very good investment because they get real benefits that flow from the power of
collective bargaining - good pay and conditions, as well as free legal protection from
unfair treatment and having a strong voice in workplace issues like health and safety. All
for cost of a cup of coffee a week!
The union sold us out at the last place: Remember, a union is its members.
Sometimes, workers find themselves in very tough times (like facing restructuring, cut-
backs, closures etc.) Unions fight for the best deal for workers and at the end of the day if
it involves employment agreements – members will always vote on a proposal before
anything happens.
The company have been good to me: Joining our union is not necessarily about
having a bad boss. Many employees see that joining the union as a way of working even
better with their employer- like joint productivity arrangements where we work together to
build value in the company and work towards better pay and conditions.
Summary
Our Union is not some outside ‘third party’ organisation. Drivers who work for our company
are our union. Being union is not about being ‘anti’ our employer. We are about drivers
sticking and working together for a fair deal. Our strength is not measured by any one
individual, but by the commitment of every driver to our collective goals and aspirations.