Workers First Union

National, ACT and NZ First have passed the Employment Leave Bill, cutting pay for over 200,000 workers, and cutting leave for anyone who is off work due to injury, sick leave, or works variable hours.

The cost-of-living crisis just got worse.

Visit vote.nz today to enrol to vote. Even if you are enroled, make sure to go there and check your details! This coalition Government is trying to catch you out by making the enrolment cut-off earlier - if you are not enroled or your details are out of date after midnight on 25 October 2026, *you will not be able to cast your vote*.

We’re calling for your nominations for Workers First Delegate of the Year, 2025/26!

Send us a private message telling us about your Delegate of the Year, by 16 August 2026.

Info: Please provide as much information as possible about your Delegate of the Year’s achievements and accomplishments, such as those related to recruitment, leading industrial action, bargaining, supporting in disputes, or other forms of solidarity. You should focus on work-related issues explicitly to explain why you’ve nominated this person. Supporting material such as photographs, newspaper clips, and links to blogs/websites are welcomed.

A throw back to a wonderful May Day, feat. workers from across Aotearoa!

🥰✊

Less leave, less pay, more lies.

National, New Zealand First, and ACT are backing bosses and making you poorer in the name of ‘simplicity’.

But do you know what’s really simple? 100 days until the election on November 7.

But only 87 days left to enrol! Visit vote.nz to check your details and update, today. Let’s vote this corrupt Coalition out of Parliament for good.

Choosing a KiwiSaver fund is an important decision, but most of us leave it on autopilot.

Your circumstances change, your goals change, and new options become available, negotiated by your union!

Workers First Union has partnered with NZ Funds so members can explore the union's KiwiSaver option, ask questions, and decide whether switching is right for them. Get the info on your current options and make an informed choice.

Check it out at www.workersfirst.nz/kiwisaver

It's 2026 and the Gender Pay Gap in New Zealand is STILL 5.2% for women - 11% for Māori wahine and 16% for Pacific women. STILL Minding The Gap.nz has been hard at work and now has a sweet new interactive tool on their website.

Head to stillmindingthegap.nz and click to add your biscuit to the tin!

Then share it around. Show Parliament that Kiwis care about fair pay, by cramming that tin to the brim with delicious digital biscuits.

Aotearoa New Zealand has some of the worst lobbying in the world. And the waters have only gotten murkier since National-NZ First-ACT took office.

You think the US is bad?

In 2011 the United States lobbying spend was 30 BILLION+ with about 13,000 lobbyists working in Washington. We know this because the US requires systematic disclosure of lobbying, and failure to comply can lead to jail sentences.

We don't even know how bad it is in New Zealand. But we know it's bad, because sometimes things slip through the net of silence - like when it was recently exposed that Uber had drafted law changes, handed it to ACT, and then this Government coalition passed Ubers "wishlist" into NZ law with only minor changes.*

What exactly is lobbying? Lobbying is when a group advocates for or against legislation (laws) or regulations, often seeking to influence political parties or individuals. "Lobbying" as an idea is not always bad. Groups, including workers and their unions, should be speaking to members of parliament. But transparency, checks and balances are required to ensure that the mega-rich can't 'buy' democracy.

We have no idea how big the NZ lobbying industry is, how much is being spent, on who or what. It is unregulated. A Government staffer can have access to sensitive internal information today and walk into a lobbying job tomorrow.

"There are no rules to follow, no laws to break and no watchdog to bark. New Zealand is the wild west of lobbying." - Guy Espiner, RNZ

* July 2025, 'Minister adopts Uber’s wish-list when drafting employment law changes, rejects official advice', lawnews.nz

Our wonderful Farmers bargaining team return to the bargaining table next week.

Wish them strength and fortitude!

Our amazing ANZ bargaining team! Doing the hard mahi.

Did you know that bargaining can take days - sometimes weeks or months - of sitting across from the employer at the bargaining table, fighting and negotiating for collective agreement improvements on behalf of members. And of course, fighting against collective agreement setbacks/'clawbacks' that the employer is pushing (reductions to existing terms or conditions).

Bargaining teams are made up of union delegates (workers), supported by union organisers. These people make it happen!!