How are we in February already?! Two short weeks in a row have thrown off my timings. January was quite quiet by way of industrial relations activities, however there are a few things brewing ahead that will impact our bargaining for 2022. That and every economist and their dog has a view of what to expect this year.
As always, the key points are summarised below.
1. SkyCity Hamilton
Unite members at SkyCity Hamilton took strike action at 12am on New Year’s Day, and are celebrating themselves for taking the world’s first strike for 2022. The core issue from this is parity with the Auckland site.
2. Expect big wage increases
“Wage rises are setting new records as employers compete for people!” This is the Stuff headline (modified because I hate the term ‘worker’). While I have an immense dislike for inflammatory headlines, it is probably not far from the truth as we head into 2022. It’s an important issue to consider as we prepare for bargaining this year. The video on this link is a little dry but does address many of the topical issues to consider.
3. Minimum Wage
While we are still waiting for the minimum wage announcement for 2022, the CTU is calling for an increase in line with CPI. Hopefully we will have confirmation of what the new rate will be, within the next couple of weeks. If anyone is into gambling, I’m happy to put my bet forward.
4. 11 trends that will shape 2022 and beyond
In this article from Harvard Business Review, they discuss a number of trends or principles that employees are looking for from their workplace in 2022. The global pandemic has made significant changes to the way we work, and many of those won’t change as come out the other side. People have re-evaluated what they want from work and are taking steps to get there.
5. Why full employment doesn’t mean everyone has a job
On this podcast episode from The Indicator by Planet Money, they talk about the low unemployment rate in the US, which is comparable to our current unemployment rate in NZ, and whether this equates to full employment.