Economist Craig Renney and policy analyst Diana Russell will present the CTU’s Alternative Economic Strategy to our first Fabian meeting of 2023 – at 5.30pm on Wednesday 18 January.
The Council of Trade Unions are in the middle of consulting with workers and organisations on their strategy. You will find a link to the document here.
“Building a Better Future” is their view of an economy that delivers for workers, and how this might be achieved. This includes making New Zealand the best country in the world to be a worker. NZ is already the best country in the world to be a business.
The Prime Minister has said she wants NZ to be the best country to be a child. The CTU argues that in order for that vision to be realised we must first look after our workforce.
The key design elements of the report revolve around 5 “missions” that they believe are central to a successful economic development pathway:
1. Economic equity
2. Delivering adequate housing and our infrastructure needs for the 21st Century
3. A Just Transition towards climate resilience
4. Decent work and greater work/life balance
5. Enabling the enduring wellbeing of New Zealand
Each of these missions contains a policy proposal that they would like to discuss:
1. A National Investment Bank that delivers our central economic missions & a new state-owned default KiwiSaver provider to hold all default funds.
2. A Ministry of Green Works that delivers adequate housing, climate resilience, economic equity, decent work and a just transition
3. An energy revolution alongside a just transition (Industrial Revolution 5.0)
4. A Decent Work Act – to replace the Employment Relations Act. Pilot a four-day working week and ECE as right, progressively provided over time
5. Working with central government economic agencies to embed and build a genuine wellbeing approach to economic development
They have three main questions they want to ask and get feedback:
1. What does a good economy look like for you?
2. What are your thoughts on the vision, direction and specifically the 5 missions?
3. What are your thoughts on their proposed solutions?
At the back of Unity Books
Wellington, WGN
New Zealand