Students in unions

In his letter in the last "Salient", Kevin Swann raises a couple of important points about student membership of trade unions during the long vacation.

Kevin's first point is that "most students do not bother, or object to, becoming a member of an appropriate Union."

While this is possibly true, it has been the hard-learned experience of a lot of students that they lose more money because of under-award wage payments and so on than they save from not paying their union fees. And Kevin makes that point in his letters.

Naturally enough, trade unions will be a bit reluctant to assist student holiday workers who have not bothered to join the union. The question union officials and members who do pay their subs ask is this: shouldn't every worker who gets the union's protection pay a fair share of the costs of running the union?

Nonetheless, the trade union movement has always been willing to assist students in the workforce. For example the Wellington District Trades Council of the Federation of Labour made the following statement about student employment a couple of years ago:

"That the Council inform the N.Z.U.S.A. that student labour receive maximum protection of the Trade Union Movement in relation to Awards and employment and the question of payment of an appropriate Union fee should be in accordance with the respective Union s policy. Students are assured of the protection given while covered by the said Union."

The basic principle which is relevant here is that problems of under-award payment of wages, bad conditions and so on can only be successfully tackled by people if they are organised and united

For example, students working in the public service during their holidays were paid low wages for years. The relevant trade union—the Public Service Association—was aware of the problem, but faced big difficulties in trying to organise this student labour.

I know that many students who worked in government departments during long vacations had the attitude—'Well, the wages are bad, so we'll go and work some where else next time." Because they didn't get together in big enough numbers and complain, nothing was done about the problem.

Two years ago, however NZUSA decided to tackle this matter in a concerted fashion. Students who'd worked in government jobs during their holidays were contacted, and their comments on wages and conditions gave valuable insights into the problems they'd experienced. Close co-operation was established with the PSA and the students' association and the union started to put pressure on the government employing body—the State Services Commission—to introduce much-needed improvements.

Within a relatively short time the State Services Commission announced improvements in vacation worker wage rates which averaged about 80% more than previous rates. Other changes were made which have enable the PSA to act on behalf of student workers. The lesson was that a combined effort by NZUSA and the PSA got results, just as VUWSA and the Store men & Packers' Union did at Cable Price.

Kevin's second point was about payment of union fees by student holiday workers.

My feeling is that where students are being paid award wages or are getting the same rate for the job as other workers, they should pay the same union fee. The only case for a special student subscription to the union can be where there are special wage rates for student workers. Therefore the PSA determined a special subscription rate for student members in 1975.

One of the problems NZUSA has always faced in assisting students who have problems with their holiday jobs is establishing and maintaining contact with them.

In conclusion, I would like to ask any student who has had problems related to their holiday job to write to me at P.O. Box 9047, Courtenay Place, Wellington or phone 856-669. Remember that we can't deal with any injustices if we don't know about them.

Peter Franks, NZUSA Research Officer

Radio Active 2XA 1260

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