THE UNIONIST: Budget 2008, ANZ, Meat industry, May Day Cup

An earlier than usual Unionist this week reports on the government budget, the bank workers' union's call for ANZ National to come clean, more on the meat industry and a guest review of the recent Manawatu May Day Cup. Story summaries are below, and visit this page for the full newsletter: http://union.org.nz/news/2008/the-unionist-budget

* Budget 2008
“Workers are feeling the pinch with high food prices, rising petrol costs and high rents and mortgage payments, and tax cuts announced today, targeted at low and middle income earners, will clearly be welcome for many workers,” Council of Trade Unions vice president Richard Wagstaff said today. For more union views on the 2008 budget, see the CTU's budget page here: http://union.org.nz/budget-2008

* ANZ National Bank should come clean on their politics The bank workers union Finsec, is calling on ANZ National bank to come clean on their politics after reports in The Press newspaper that New Zealand’s most profitable bank is about to release a report critical of the amount the Government is spending on public services.

* Meat industry can’t afford the loss of skilled workers The Council of Trade Unions has called for an active approach to finding jobs for meat workers being made redundant, following a further announcement today by PPCS, this time in relation to their Burnside site in Dunedin.

* Review: 14th Manawatu MayDay Concert (Celebrating‘International Worker’s Day) An eery silence reigned during Michael Houstoun’s beautiful playing of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ right up to when this patron of the Regent stood and bowed, then the heavens opened to thunderous applause,

Visit this page for the full newsletter: http://union.org.nz/news/2008/the-unionist-budget

ENDS