Lyndy McIntyre – ChangeMaker Chat – Living Wages
Relationships and Alliance building in Aotearoa New Zealand
You can download this episode via the ACAST app here, or find it on any podcast app (Spotify, Apple, Stitcher etc) – just search “ChangeMakers Podcast” and look for the Orange Box!
In a world where everyone is worried about cost of living – what difference would it make to lift the wages of the lowest paid workers?
Lyndy McIntyre has documented a campaign that did exactly that in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her book Power to Win documents that struggle and in this chat she explores some of the key strategies that made that campaign work.
Power to Win is available:
- In Aotearoa through Otago University Press
- In Australia from John Reed Books
- In North America from Independent Publishers Group
- In the UK and Europe from Gazelle Book Services
Living Wage campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand:
In May 2012 a new social movement was launched in Aotearoa New Zealand with the goal of lifting the wages of the lowest paid workers. It all began with the Service and Food Workers Union’s mission to win back the power needed to achieve decent pay for its members after the passage of an anti-worker, anti-union law in 1991. After trying many strategies, in 2011 the union reached out to the community with an invitation to build power together to unite around the shared goal of addressing poverty wages. The outcome has been hugely successful and changed the lives of many thousands of workers and their families. In Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ faith groups, community organisations and unions work in partnership. These groups represent thousands of New Zealanders in organisations as diverse as Catholic social justice groups, the Māori Women’s Welfare League, students associations and refugee advocacy organisations. The diversity of Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ is the strength of the movement and the secret of the success of the many campaigns that have won the living wage for thousands of workers — in corporates, across local and central government and in small businesses and NGOs.
Read more about Living Wage Movement Aotearoa NZ here.
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