This morning I attended the launch of the Centre for High Performance Work. This is a joint initative of the Engineers Union and the Dairy Workers Union to work with businesses to develop work practices that lead to increased productivity through integrating workers knowledge into production decisions.
There is general agreement that improvements in our productivity are a key to improving our national wealth and well-being. Often the conversation about productivity takes place at the macro level in terms of the importance of infrastructure, capital investment and research and development. These are of course critical elements in the equation, but what actual happens on the ‘shop floor’ is sometimes forgotten. Making sustainable improvements to productivity relies on employers and workers together making changes. This is practical productivity.
The Centre is supported by government and employers. Initially there will be 12 pilot projects managed by the Department of Labour that will test out the tools and ideas generated by the Centre. Phil O’Reilly from Business New Zealand and a number of employers were in attendance this morning and Fonterra has plated a key role in developing the Centre, demonstrating this is a truly tripartite initative.
The point was made today that for many workers in the 1990s ‘productivity’ came to be associated with jobs losses, detoriating conditions of work and harder work for less pay as employers tried to squeeze every last dollar from their workforce.
The conversation this century has been far more focused on a shared responsibility for improving the workplace through developing skills of workers, better communication, reduction of waste and better organisation. For employers this can lead to higher productivity, happier and healthier workplaces and a more committed workforce. For the workers there is the prospect of better rewards and recognition, a sense of satisfaction that your voice is heard, more skills and training and greater job security.
As Trevor Mallard noted at the launch this morning, it is these kind of outcomes that will see people work harder, rather than waving tax cuts in front of them.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the Centre.
Posted in Social Justice. |
Annette King has announced that Phase Two of the work on Transmission Gully has been given the go ahead, with a perferred route that appears to be likely to cost less, be safer and have less environmental impact. Phase Two involves discussion with affected landowners, consultation on the preferred route and what is required to secure it. Meanwhile local authorities will need to consider their support and possible funding options.
It would be fair to say that in Wellington Central I hear mixed views on Transmission Gully. For many Wellingtonians easing the congestion in and out of the city is a major issue, and one they have fought for many years. For others it is simply not a priority- either in comparison to other roading projects in the region or because, with costs of oil and climate change concerns, the priority should be on developing public transport.
As I have said before I believe that Wellington’s sustainable transport future relies on investing across modes, but with particular attention to developing effective, reliable and affordable public transport. The Government has committed nearly $1 billion to special packages for transport in the Wellington region, including hundreds of millions for rail and other public transport. Of that $400 million is already allocated for the Western corridor, so the ball is firmly in the court of local authorities.
This will be a difficult discussion for the reasons highlighted above, and the track record on agreement among Councils on these issues is not good. More government funding is not likely given priorities for road building elsewhere in New Zealand, and the need to invest in multi modal solutions to transport issues in Wellington.
The public still have the opportunity for input, with a consultation process on the next phase to start in July. In the meantime I am keen to hear from Wellington Central voters as to their views on the proposals, the preferred route and the various funding mechanisms.
Posted in Wellington. |
There is an oddly written piece in the Herald this morning, attributing to Lord Robert Winston the statement that we must dump our dependence on agriculture and switch to ‘science’. Looking at the quotes from Lord Winston later in the story it is not clear this is what he actually said. If it is, it both ignores an large amount of investment in new technologies in recent years, and misses the fairly obvious solution- the connection between agriculture and science. Continue reading ‘more than sheep’
Posted in Education and New Zealand in the World. |
I was all set to do a post on the article in the Sunday Star Times on the real costs/benefits of living in Australia. But Steve over at The Standard has said it all. In the comments section the question is being asked- so why are people still going?
Its tempting to say the weather (and actually I think that is a factor), but as I have discussed before I think a major factor is that as a small country beside a larger country we will always lose people to the greater opportunities and excitement that scale provides. In recent years this has been added to as more and more corporates have moved head offices to Australia, as they re-organise themselves around the reality of improved communications and economies of scale.
Also, the minerals boom in Australia has brought with it the possibility of much higher wages for manual and semi skilled labour that may not have been possible before.
The wage gap is real, but as Steve has noted that was created in the 1990s, and will take a great deal of work to reduce. We need to see workers getting a fair share of profits and to improve on productivity measures. Att the same time we need to recognise and promote what stands in our favour in terms of quality of life and environment and being a great place to raise a family.
Posted in New Zealand in the World. |
At the launch of NZ Music Month Chris Knox mentioned that one of his songs had been picked up for a beer commercial in the US. Not just any commercial but Heineken’s Premium Light beer. Reports from friends and family in the US indicate that the ad is getting huge airplay, and people are loving the song. Here is the ad, and here is an Amercian kid paying homage to the song- in a way I trust Chris would admire.
Posted in New Zealand in the World and Sport, Music and other time wasting activities. |
