PSA Youth sponsoring members to attend inter-union youth conference
Note: the dates are 10 & 11 July not 11 & 12 July as stated in the newsletter.
PSA Youth is calling for expressions of interest (EOIs) to attend the Council of Trade Union (CTU)’s biennial Stand Up youth conference on 10 & 11 July in Wellington. This year’s theme is Union modernisation – building relevance to young workers in the 21st century. Young members from across a range of unions will hear from speakers and workshop on this theme.
The PSA will sponsor up to 12 young members (under 35 years old) to attend – including registration fees, transport, accommodation and food. You will need to organise your own leave to attend. Some workplaces may allow you to use union leave – you can discuss with your delegate or organiser.
If you are interested in attending please send an EOI to psay@psa.org.nz by 31 May with your workplace, location and a brief explanation of why you’d like to attend.
CTU Women’s Conference – 26 & 27 July
The CTU Women’s Conference is taking place in Wellington on 26 and 27 July, and we’re keen to have a couple of young women from PSA Youth representing. Let us know if you’re interested in attending and we’ll send you more info when available - simply email psay@psa.org.nz
Come to Wellington PSA Youth drinks and nibbles!
PSA Youth are holding a social with free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options) and nibbles from 5pm on Thursday May 23rd at PSA House, Level 6, 11 Aurora Terrace. It’s a great chance to come and meet your fellow union members from across the range of workplaces that the PSA represents, and if you’re interested, to get more involved in the range of work that PSA Youth does to help educate and activate our union’s younger (under 35) members.
At a recent PSAY Youth Leadership Training day in Wellington, a number of people talked about wanting help to become more confident public speakers and better at speaking up in their own workplaces, so we’ll be playing a quick and easy game that you’re welcome to join in on during the evening that will help you improve these skills.
When: 5 – 7pm, Thursday 23rd May
Where: PSA House, Level 6, 11 Aurora Terrace (off The Terrace near the Parliament end)
Who: PSA members under 35 years old
Please RSVP to psay@psa.org.nz beforehand to help us know how many to cater for, but you can still turn up on the night regardless.
Step up to a leadership role: Become a South Island PSA Youth regional convenor
We’re looking for one or maybe two people to step up and volunteer to be a regional convenor for PSA Youth in the South Island. The regional convenors work with the national convenor and PSA staff to help plan and carry out the variety of activities that PSA Youth is involved in. We meet irregularly in person and regularly via teleconference to organise and coordinate our work.
The regional convenor role has a two-year term. The convenors are expected to:
• help develop and implement the annual plan
• attend, develop and participate in PSA Youth events
• help to coordinate activities in your region
• update the PSA Youth Facebook page
• help grow the network
• be a link to the CTU’s youth union movement “Stand Up”
We will support you in the role by providing you with guidance and assistance, funding for activities, and training and development opportunities. We will work with you on your goals and split tasks and responsibilities across the convenor team according to interest.
The South Island Convenor(s) will be elected by an email ballot of South Island PSA Youth members.
To find out more, or to submit an expression of interest, email psay@psa.org.nz before 29 May.
Many thanks to Rachelle Boulton, our outgoing South Island convenor, for all her hard work.
PSA Youth grows 5-fold overnight!
At the PSA Youth national conference, members decided that we should sign up all members aged 35 and under to the network. The members who’ve been in know it’s the place to be, and they reckon anyone not in has been missing out! We now have 10,000 PSA Youth – that’s a lot of power!
If you know of a young PSA member who isn’t receiving the PSA Youth newsletters - get them to phone 0508 367 772 or email enquiries@psa.org.nz – we’re probably missing their DOB or email.
Youth members hitting headlines (and select committees)
A number of PSA Youth members have spoken at select committees recently, including on the introduction of youth rates, proposals to deny state sector workers redundancy, a Labour bill to increase paid parental leave, and marriage equality. They stood up on issues important to them and the union, and demonstrated what an amazing bunch of educated and articulate people we have in the union.
PSA Youth members Evelyn Moody and David Do hit the headlines following their select committee appearances on paid parental leave and marriage equality (respectively). Awesome work!
We’ll be in touch about other opportunities to write submissions or speak at select committees, but feel free to get in touch at any time for advice – email psay@psa.org.nz
Youth leadership training – Day 2
Day 2 of the PSA Youth Leadership Training took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in March. The day 2 programme focused on styles and forms of leadership, leadership skills, and developing leadership plans. A lot of members said that the training has inspired them to get more involved in the PSA, their community and workplace. Many said they were now keen to become delegates, join a PSAY regional committee, and organise workshops and other activities in their region.
Check out pics from the training on Facebook
here. We will be rolling out the training programme to other regions this year and next.
PSA Youth Regional Committees
At the 2012 PSA Youth National Conference members decided to set up Regional PSA Youth Committees. These committees will support the work of the three regional convenors. Being part of a committee will mean you can share your ideas with local PSA members, and help to organise activities in your region. Committees will communicate online and there will also be regular opportunities to meet in person.
If you’re interested in becoming a regional committee member, please email psay@psa.org.nz, including your location, so we can work out the appropriate regional committee for you.
| Free PSA membership for students!
The PSA is trialling free student membership for full-time tertiary
students studying towards or interested in work in the public or
community sectors.
It’s one way of getting young people thinking about
and involved in unions before entering the workplace. Student members
will receive phone advice on their employment rights, our magazines and
newsletters, invites to training and events, and access to our PSA Plus
benefits – all for free!
So if you know anyone studying full-time get them to join now here. Read the FAQs while you are there if you need membership brochures and posters -just ask!
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PSA Youth and student posters
We now have a number of PSA Youth and student membership posters that you can display in your workplace. These can be printed from our website
here or ordered through the Organising Centre – enquiries@psa.org.nz or 0508 367 772.
PSA Youth is on Twitter!
We finally have our own
PSA Youth Twitter account. Follow us for regular updates.
CTU Conferences – July 2013
Two Council of Trade Union (CTU) Conferences are coming up that may be of interest. The Stand Up Youth Conference, which will bring together young members from across a range of unions, will be taking place on 11 and 12 July 2013 in Wellington. We’re keen to send about 12 young members to that, and will be in touch soon with more info and a call for expressions of interest.
The CTU Women’s Conference is taking place in Wellington on 26 and 27 July, and we’re keen to have a couple of young women from PSA Youth representing. Let us know if you’re interested in attending and we’ll send you more info when available - simply email psay@psa.org.nz
'Another world is possible’ essay competition
The Labour History Project is calling for entries for an essay competition on the theme ‘Another world is possible’. At a time when people internationally are turning against economic policies that further inequality, and when conventional political solutions are losing their authority, the Labour History Project (which is not affiliated with any political organisation) welcomes entries from progressive New Zealanders of all ages that offer visions and pathways for a fairer and brighter society. There are cash prizes of $500 and $250 up for grabs, and the winning essays will be published by the Labour History Project. Entries close on 30 August 2013. Follow
this link for more details.
Youth conference wrap up
On 28 and 29 November, 47 young PSA members from around the country came together in Wellington for the 2012 PSA Youth National Conference. The focus of the two days was on youth participation and engagement in the union, and campaigning and advocacy for social change.
We heard from a range of interesting speakers, discussed activities in regional regroups, elected two new youth convenors as the Central Convenor position was vacant,
and the National Convenor position became vacant after Andrea Fromm retired from the role. The new convenor details can be found in the right hand column.
We also decided to establish regional network committees (more on that in the new year). Oh, and we got through 2kg of pineapple lumps, plus a few extra kgs of other lollies!
We’ve put some of the presentations and materials from conference here for those who are interested in checking them out:
Introduction to PSAY - Susannah Bailey
Union challenges & youth - Nigel Haworth
Union history and values- Nigel Haworth
Campaign planning - Susannah Bailey
Influencing public policy - Kirsten Windelov
Making a Submission - Kirsten Windelov
Union structure - Brenda and Richard
Social media presentation - Matthew O'Driscoll
And you can check out pics from conference on our Facebook page. We ate at a Turkish restaurant for dinner hence the interesting belly dancing pics!
Power Shift NZ Pacific 2012
The PSAYouth and PSA Eco Rep networks sponsored 13 young PSA members to attend Power Shift NZ Pacific in Auckland from7-9 December. They were amongst 700 young leaders attending NZ’s largest ever youth climate summit. It was really exciting to be a part of this massive youth drive for serious action on climate change.
The PSA members who attended said they got a lot out of the 3 days and are keen to work with the PSA youth and eco networks on ways to encourage workplace action on environmental sustainability and climate change.
Check on
this TV3 news story on the giant flashmob that took place on day 3 to launch the campaign
100% Possible – for a future beyond fossil fuels. Sign up to the campaign today!
And for more updates on the PSA’s environmental activities join the PSA Eco Rep network – email michele.donovan@psa.org.nz to sign up to the email list.
Same Work Same Pay
At the PSAY conference we heard from James Sleep, convenor of Stand Up - the youth wing of the Council of Trade Unions (CTU). James talked to us about the campaign against youth rates –
Same Work Same Pay, and how we could get involved to support the campaign. Together we formulated a submission from PSAY on the “Starting Out Wage” Bill, which National Convenor Asher Goldman and PSA Organiser Nick Kelly later presented to the select committee.
We also developed campaign plans. Leave your details on the
Same Work Same Pay website to hear about activities you can get involved in to support the campaign. Don't forget to take action (in the news item below this one) and don’t forget to like them on
Facebook!
Tell the government: Youth rates are discriminatory!
The PSA supports the Same Work Same Pay campaign against the so called ‘Starting Out Wage’. We think the campaign name sums up the issue – that youth rates are blatantly unfair! Workers should be paid on the basis of their work and their skills, not their age. New Zealanders fought hard for a minimum wage - lowering it now will only lead to poverty and exploitation.
If the Minimum Wage (Starting Out Wage) Amendment Bill becomes law, employers will be able to pay all 16-17 year-olds plus any 18-19 year-olds who’ve been on an unemployment benefit for more than 6 months less than the minimum wage.
At a measly $10.80 per hour, a full-time worker would only get around $9,000 after tax for 6 month’s work. That’s only $370 a week and no incentive to get people off an unemployment benefit which pays about the same.
We need to show the Government we care and quickly because they have set a very short timeframe for submissions on the proposed legislation. Submissions are due by next Tuesday 27 November.
Here’s what you can do:
Got a minute?
· Send a quick template submission to the Bill through the Same Work Same Pay campaign page.
· Like the Same Work Same Pay Facebook page and share it through your networks.
· Follow the @SameworksamePay Twitter handle and retweet.
Got 5mins or more?
· Write your own submission to the Bill. Individualised submissions have the greatest impact and they can be just a couple of sentences long. Send individualised submissions through the official parliamentary submission form here.
· Fill in a quick survey on the PSA website here – we’ll use this feedback to put PSA Youth’s submission together.
Got an hour or so?
· When filling in your submission tick that you’d like to orally present to the select committee. The committee will be in touch and you can decide at a later date if you want to talk to the committee. J
Want to do more?
· Sign up to become a youth rates activist to share ideas and learn more about ways you can support the campaign. Email psay@psa.org.nz to get involved.
You can also check out the Same Work Same Pay Facebook page here and the website here to learn more about the issue and connect with others.
Remember, submissions are due by 27 November (just in case you haven’t noticed the other text in bold)!
Paid Parental Leave
PSA Youth is supporting the campaign to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks. New Zealand has fallen behind Australia and other OECD countries in support for new families. 26 for Babies, has been signed up to by a large and growing group of community organisations including Plunket, Every Child Counts, Parents’ Centres and unions across New Zealand.
Find out more on our website or visit the 26 for babies Facebook page.
State sector cuts forcing youth out?
This story from NewstalkZB says that there's concern continued cuts to the state sector are forcing young people out of the public service.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the latest government department looking to axe jobs, with up to 300 set to go. There's also concern about a bottle-neck culture meaning salaries and opportunities are being taken away from younger employees...read more.
Youth rates, back on the agenda
The minimum wage for young people appears to be back on the political agenda. It shouldn’t be. Those wanting to bring back youth rates say they will slash youth unemployment. The evidence simply does not bear this out. There are much more important issues at stake including skills, education, productivity and living standards...read more: Youth rates story from Dominion Post 130611
PSA Youth National Conference
 | What an inspiring, well-organised and fun conference we had! ‘We’ are around 50 young people working in public services around the country, who are motivated to discuss our workplaces and NZ’s economy and society; young people who are keen to share experiences and to learn from each other. We are concerned and this is why we are committed to contribute to change. This is why we came together!
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Two days were filled with a busy agenda in which we learned about our union history, new politics and the movement of movements. We heard about PSA’s strategic direction and possibilities of participation and engagement. Famous Martyn ‘Bomber’ Bradbury enlightened us with his straightforward, thought-provoking and sometimes cynical insights whereas the panel of young political leaders showed us how to exercise diplomacy prior to the elections rather than to take on a political battle of ideas. Top leaders of NZ’s trade union movement told us how crucial we are for NZ’s future and the re-vitalisation of the union movement.
Engaging with each other was as simple as gulping down the first drink at the end of an eventful day one of the conference. I felt so good being part of a creative bunch of people who share similar values and who see and criticise injustices in everyday life. It is not all rosy – especially not for young people! But it is equally not all bad because we are not on our own and together we can make things happen.
Energy and enthusiasm is what you would have felt if you were at the conference!
If you want to become active about individual issues in your workplace or with regards to wider social and economic injustices, get in touch!
Re-framing justice, solidarity and equality should not happen without you.
Logo competition winner
Congratulations to Robert from the Ministry of Education who designed the new PSA Youth logo and bagged himself a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, courtesy of Telecom.
Robert’s winning design was chosen because of its clean look and it’s subtle take on the theme Speak Up. The logo will be used on the PSA Youth webpage, PSA Youth Facebook page, and all of our PSA Youth promotional material.
International news
YOUTH TO YOUTH is the Asia Pacific Electronic news bulletin for young members in the region. It is published every two months by the Public Services International Asia and Pacific Regional Organisation. Read the latest issue here.
Results of the survey
Here are the results of the PSA Youth Survey. We had almost 3,000 responses with 1,200 people pledging further support for PSAY activities. PSAY Survey - collated results.
Ariki Taru from Work and Income Kilbirnie won the iPod in a random draw from all the survey respondents. Congratulations.
Other Youth Union News
We have strong links with Stand Up, New Zealand’s youth union movement. Stand Up is a network of young workers across New Zealand who aim to increase awareness of unionism and workers’ rights amongst young New Zealanders and to advocate and campaign on issues important to young people. Fin out more about Stand Up on Facebook.
Convenors
It was the last PSAY Conference for outgoing PSAY National Convenor Andrea Fromm. We can’t thank Andrea enough for the energy and time she put into PSAY during her year as National Convenor. She has been a huge asset to the network and will be missed.
At Conference PSA members elected Asher Goldman from Parliamentary Services in Wellington as the new National PSAY Convenor. Members from the central region (Wellington to Taupo) elected Peter Kim from IRD in Wellington as the Central Convenor. Congratulations, Asher and Peter! We’re really excited to have you on board.
We’ll put bios and contact details for each of the convenors up on the website in the new year.