Posts by Peter Cox
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Dexter, honestly, the CTU didn't have a clue about this until it blew up in their faces, and they learned about it in the papers. Nor did the NZWG or any of the other industry unions. You're genuinely just wandering off into the unhealthy realms of conspiracy theory.
In my view it would be best if residuals were handled independently of the unions – in that they don’t manage them.
I'm sorry but the people who earned them (ie the membership) should be handling the residuals. They do that through their union.
Overseas, industry 'collecting societies' are notoriously poor at serving the people they're supposed to be working for. Ultimately, Unions are democratic institutions that directly responsible, and controlled by their members. Any other system is plainly more open to corruption.
As the saying goes: democracy is the worst political system, except for all the others.
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@ Graham (way back there). In regard to the 'attacking peter Jackson thing'. I was referring purely to the post of your made before mine (ie the one attacking Peter Jackson).
Aside from that everything else you're saying in that follow up post seems perfectly reasonable in terms of the fact that this thing should have been sorted out a long time ago. I agree completely. But honestly, if MEAA/AE were attempting to engage in collective bargaining agreements with local productions it's rather hard to feel terribly much sympathy for the plight of AE in this or previous actions. And looking at the way this Hobbit conflict has played out, I think most people are assuming the mistakes made here were the same mistakes made previously.
Apparently, we're supposed to be getting a bunch of documents on that issue soon.
Though, obviously if SPADA have been deliberately avoiding working with AE then they're as much to blame as anyone. The real story, as I'm understanding it from you, is that SPADA were attempting to engage in the pink book negotiations, but AE wanted something that was a legally binding set of conditions. And that's why the meetings did not happen.
Have I got that about right?
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@ David, I don't disagree. But I'm just saying that the same simple version argument we've get here is going to be the one carried by anti-unionists overseas.
@ Graham, and I'm struggling to understand how attacking Peter Jackson is helping AE.
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Yup, that's always been my reading too.
I've gotten this all from the original MEAA factsheet btw.
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As I was reading Simon Whipp's latest spin on this boycott being a success in the Hollywood Reporter, and thinking about Helen trying to make positive of the situation (which, to be fair, is what she needed to do), it made me realise what a black eye this could be, not just for the NZ Film Industry/NZ Unions, but the Global Union Movement, particularly for the film industry.
If the Hobbit moves overseas, and assuming it's something that makes it into the world public consciousness (which it seems to be), then it's going to be the perfect argument for every right wing politician who wants to suggest global unions want to wreck local industry. In particular the film industry.
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Respectful letter requesting a conversation:
http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/letter1.pdf
As far as I can ascertain, this is the first one.
If you were Peter Jackson, what would you say?
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IMHO the most sensible thing the unions could have done is take part ownership of today's rally and join the rest of the workers. AE members should have been there and made a point to be there, but shut up about the recent past and just simply said: 'let's keep the hobbit in nz'/keep NZ strong, and nothing else. Everyone, including the unions, CTU rep should have been there in contrite support, and saying: unions can be good things for keeping nz strong, let's work together for everyone. Philippa Boyens was the NZWG Executive Director for years FFS. She's not anti-union. Enlist her, get her onboard with helping the union image, by pulling your socks up and showing some maturity even if it means biting your lip a bit. Keep it positive. And for all that is sane: whether you believe it or not, don't frgging attack Peter Jackson; which means forget the 'all we wanted is a meeting he could have solved it with that but he didn't' line.
If the debate is about positive national identity, put the unions on the positive side of that debate instead of f**king Gery Brownlee/John Key.
Hint: attacking John Key for taking advantage of the situation will not do it.
But yeah, as Gio says, resist the temptation to pull this revisionist spin conspiracy BS. Saying 'all we wanted was a meeting'/'it was never boycott' is not a great move when there's letters out there in the public sphere that quite clearly say the opposite.
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** re this:
sigh
They've rather sensibly changed the picture that accompanied that article now. I do hope the media continue to report sensibly on the reality of the tone rather than picking up on the odd kiwiblog/youngnat asshole who tries to take advantage of it for their own idiotic ideology.
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It will always be portraied and perceived as an anti-union march.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/4270058/Hobbit-rallies-build-up-steam
sigh
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They were brought in to try to bring reason to the mess once everything had gone pear-shaped.
As someone who has been talking directly to the people involved, I can tell you that's exactly the case.
I don't think anyone there was naive about how this thing could potentially look to the trade union movement overall. And, in fact, that's a good part of the reason they were forced to be involved.
They're not stupid. The Hobbit story was the big Union story and they had to do their best not to make it look less bad than it was.
But let's face it, that's a pretty big ask. It's not a job I'd want forced upon me.