Union activists picket Australian Embassy

Solidarity protest action with Australian workers

In solidarity with Australian workers taking mass protest action, union members in New Zealand (from the SFWU, EPMU, Unite Union and the CTU) gathered outside the Australian Embassy in Auckland, on 28 June, to protest against Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s Industrial Relations laws. The delegation stormed the ‘PriceWaterHouse Coopers’ building to collectively deliver a letter of protest to the Australian Ambassador.

NZ workers from food and beverage companies that have factories in Australia attended a conference before and after the protest action, to discuss the impact of the laws on Australian workers, the impact they will have on workers’ rights in NZ, and on what we can do ‘over the ditch’ – to link up with actions taken by Australian workers. Most importantly, for the first time in years, New Zealand trade unionists across Auckland got the opportunity to work together to fight Howard’s attacks on workers and support our sisters and brothers in Australia.