The introduction of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) under the last Labour government was an ambitious attempt to deal with stagnant wages and rising poverty. FPAs would have allowed unions to dramatically increase their reach and improve pay and conditions across whole industries and occupations.
Unfortunately, the recent change of government led to the repeal of the FPA legislation just on the cusp of the first FPAs being completed. Ben Peterson will examining the experience of FPAs, which offers rich lessons for rebuilding the union movement in the 21st century.
Ben Peterson is an Assistant Secretary for Unite Union and the former Fair Pay Agreements Strategic Coordinator for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. He comes to the trade union movement informed by his commitment to working people and socialism, and has worked for unions in the private and public sectors since arriving in New Zealand in 2014.
Ernie Abbott was the vice-president of the Caretakers and Cleaners Union and caretaker of the Wellington Trades Hall. He was killed on 27th March, 1984, when an explosion ripped through the Wellington Trades Hall.
The Ernie Abbott Memorial Lecture was established by the Wellington Socialist Society in 2024. It is dedicated to the memory of Ernie and all those who have given their lives in service to working people and is focused on labour, trade union, and socialist history in Aotearoa.
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Event Proceedings:
6:00 pm – Doors Open
6:30 pm – Introductions
6:40 pm – Talk presented by Ben
7:20 pm – Intermission
7:30 pm – Audience Q&A
For those unable to attend we will have a live stream on the Wellington Socialist Society Facebook page.
Drinks and food will be available to order from the bar. As always we are thankful to Bedlam & Squalor for hosting us.
Starts On
April 15, 2025 - 6:00 pm
Ends On
9:00 pm
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