Surely they're smart enough to realise how political that's going to look.
Now, I'm not saying they're necessarily trying to be political but I'd bet the two unions organising the strike absolutely are. Those unions are the PSA and E tū.
Let me remind you about them. The PSA is openly running a campaign called 'Change the Government' and E tū has published an election manifesto saying: "We want a Labour-led Government."
It has been noticeable how much the unions have been trying to influence this election. There have been horror stories out of hospitals, planted on One News, about doctors who are at their wits' end, coming through the unions. Nurses, represented by the unions, have been declaring a state of emergency in emergency departments for weeks.
There was the tertiary educators' strike, the nationwide mega health strike, the massive public service strike and now there's the TVNZ strike.
The PSA and E tū will know that this TVNZ strike is likely to be the highest-profile strike of them all because people are fascinated by those who work in television.
The problem for the TVNZ journos, who may be unwittingly allowing themselves to be used by their unions, is that their bulletin, and a select few of their journalist colleagues, regularly face accusations of bias, particularly from the breakfast host on this radio station, who has by far the country's largest radio audience.
So, for some people, all that's needed to confirm that perceived bias will be seeing a recognisable TV journo, accused of being hostile to the coalition Government, standing outside their workplace on a picket line just nine days before an election.
Now, I'm not saying these journalists don't have a legitimate claim to a pay rise. Maybe they do. But the timing is off.
'Slipped behind': E tū national secretary on why TVNZ staff plan to strike next week
For their own sake, so they're not seen to be participating in a collective union push for a change of Government, they should push the strike back a couple of weeks until after the election.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
For their own sake, so they're not seen to be participating in a collective union push for a change of Government, they should push the strike back a couple of weeks until after the election.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
It's great that they are going on strike. They are a waste of time, and I recently stopped watching TVNZ news, breaking a lifelong habit.
no one will notice.
Heather - it is called 'rent a mob' tactics, by Socialist Domain Unions - PSA has a long history here and E tu is a newby on the block and is showing its 'fangs'.
If you think TVNZ Staff going 'on strike' is politically motivated, then what was the 'strike' by staff from educational domains of recent days.
There is one aspect of history that NZ has never looked, studied, pondered and that is the aftermath of the 1917 Russian revolution, that was instigated (not by Lenin) but in the first instance "joe citizen" who had had enough of the Tzsar (and his wife) and took matters into their own hands.
They were then joined by the remnants of the Russian Army who had walked away from the battlefield with Germany, due to the incompetence of Officer's and also the lack of material support.
It is from these times that the concept of - "Unions" emerged, by the Red Army who refused to fight, that was after they shot their Officer's, then took the side of the Citizen revolution - these 'lovely lads' (there was no gender affirmative action, or DEI requirements then) then walked the soil of Russia shooting any & all (Russian citizens) that did not join the revolution, that included a sojourn into Ukraine.
If you look at history from then Unions have become the 'go to' action of/for Socialist activity, and here in NZ The Federation of Labour is good example of that thinking & action.
E tu is not ( I am advised) a NZ invention, but an importation from overseas.
It is no good the Min. of Broadcasting (current) doing anything - he has already shown his incompetence and at the moment is (with fingers crossed) hoping to get back to Wellington as the pay is better than what he will get in the private sector.
My reference here, is an article this website by Richard Prebble (of recent days) re the "life & times" of former MP's, who have no other work abilities.
For many K one W one's TVNZ (news) not functioning will be no sad loss, they have become like the BBC.
To anon at 7:59.
I didn't know they were going on strike until I read this.
Its great that they are striking. To dumb to recognise it will just be another nail in the coffin.
>"It is from these times that the concept of - 'Unions' emerged, by the Red Army who refused to fight, that was after they shot their Officer's, then took the side of the Citizen revolution."
Anon 826 is using the term 'unions' rather loosely. However, he alludes to the link between unionism and organised labour. That would take unionism back to 1818 when the General Union of Trades was founded in the UK; the National Association for the Protection of Labour followed almost 20 years later by which time it has unified some 150 trade unions. The Russian Revolution of 1917 cemented the association between unionism and communism through the creation of 'military labour unions' known as Revolutionary Committees which led to the 'soviet' model.
BTW the Red Army was the army of the USSR. Before that it was called the Imperial Russian Army.
Great news. Let them strike. The more the merrier. Let the journalists publicly prove their lack of political integrity to the whole nation not just the handful of voters who still watch News on One. In fact, the more inconvenience they cause to the voting public the better. They will just reinforce the trend back to returning the coalition and alienate more viewers. So remind me why the State needs to own a TV station in the first place. It's certainly not for the dividends.
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