Business

Unite Union is taking on McDonalds, apparently over what they call “stolen wages and stolen breaks”.

Unite claims $2.5m “Stolen Wages, Stolen Breaks” against McDonald’s

Unite are submitting an employment authority case against McDonald’s today for unpaid breaks that the union estimates has resulted in unpaid wages of $2.5 million.

“We have wage and time records from two stores (one a McCopco store and one a franchisee) for the last four months that confirm a consistent pattern of not paying for lost lunch breaks – as they are required to do under the collective agreement,” said Unite National Director Mike Treen.  Read more »

The Planning Parrot writes:

Again the Night-Mayor Brown’s team of merry men have come up with a crazy idea that has been inserted in the draft Auckland Unitary Plan.

Section 3.1.3.2 Air quality under the heading “Air Discharge from transport” states:

Require applications for land use consent or designation for a high traffic-generating activity to demonstrate that:

a. Air discharges from vehicles have been assessed using best practice methods, such as modelling and monitoring, appropriate to the scale of the discharge and any potential adverse effects;

b. The combined concentrations of air discharges arising from the activity and and back ground levels will not cause adverse effects on human health or on regional or local air quality, and will meet the AAAQS;

c. Easy access to public transport is provided so that people have an alternative to private vehicles;

d. Access to and the layout and design of land use or activity facilities walking or cycling as a practical alternative to the use of private motor vehicles for trips to/from the activity”.  Read more »

The cheese eating surrender monkey’s arts bludgers are signalling to business…and Apple and Google especially that they should leave France.

France is preparing to impose taxes on Apple and Google to finance the production of art, films and music in the country, in a move likely to worsen relations between business and Francois Hollande’s socialist government.

The president has asked businessman Pierre Lescure to find ways of funding the arts, as the economy continues to struggle.

France slipped back into recession in the first quarter of this year and the European Commission expects the economy to contract 0.1pc in 2013.  Read more »

It is official…the possibility of a Green/Labour government is spooking business…so much so that they are writing in protection clauses into commercial contracts with the government to protect investment.

Sky City has announced they were ‘spooked’ by Green/Labour intervention.

The Green/Labour vandalism masquerading as power policy has spooked those with capital to invest in New Zealand – after all – why would any employer spend money here if the Government is prepared to rip up the contract, confiscate their property rights and impose new regulation?

Patrick Gower reports:

Trustpower has seen the value of their assets diminish significantly because of the Green/Labour economic hand-grenade.

On top of supporting hundreds of community groups with grants and support up and down the country, Trustpower pays a dividend to its shareholders. 33% happens to be owned by the customers in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.

And guess what their payout was last year – $385 – way more than Labour’s bribe.    Read more »

Seamus Hogan of Offsetting Behaviour writes an open letter to David Shearer and David Parker. It is somewhat impertinent but asks valid questions which they need to answer:

Dear David and David,

I have read with interest the policy document you released yesterday: New Zealand Power, Energising New Zealand.I wonder if you could clarify a few points for me.

1. In the document and the associated speeches, you quote the Wolak report’s figure of $4.3b of, in your words, “super profits”. Have either of your read the report, or any of the trenchant criticisms of that report? (A bit egotistically, I can suggest work that I was involved in, here, here, and here, but there are others.)
2. You say that “prices are rising faster than in many of our major competitor countries”, and show a graph comparing the price trend in a number of countries since 1986. Let’s leave aside the question of what is meant by “competitor country”. Is it your position that prices were correct in New Zealand in 1986? Elsewhere you say that your new agency, New Zealand Power, will set prices based on operating costs and a fair return on capital. Is it your position that prices were generating a fair return on capital in 1986?
3. You say that the faster rate of price growth in New Zealand “undermines the competitiveness of our economy”. But one of your graphs shows that real industrial prices have remained about constant since 1986 and commercial prices have fallen. What exactly do you mean by “competitiveness”?   Read more »

Labour and the Greens are committing economic sabotage in proposing Stalinist style state control of power prices.

It would be a disaster for private investors.. all those people with their savings in Contact and Trustpower shares (including Kiwisavers) would have their investment destroyed by their proposal.

Labour is promising to cut the average Kiwi power bill by up to $330 a year if elected to government.

It plans to do so by setting up a single buyer, NZ Power, to purchase all electricity generation at a fair price.

At a joint press conference Green co-leader Russel Norman outlined a similar policy, although the Greens would introduce an element of progressive pricing.  Read more »

David Shearer is a big fan of Finland…perhaps he will soon start suggesting this solution, taxing unpaid work:

FINLAND’S tax authority is trying to find new ways to increase revenue and is considering going so far as to tax unpaid labour, an official has told public broadcaster YLE.

The tax office was looking at service exchanges in particular, such as time banking, where reciprocal services are exchanged using units of time as currency, or more informal arrangements such as that between two neighbours.  Read more »

The Labour/Green proxy blog at The Standard has a post by Anthony Robins where he generously quotes an article by some womble university professor. He says the article proves that the government is short sighted and at the same time proves that he has no idea what he is talking about.

Wayne Cartwright says:

The Government’s plan to sell publicly owned hydro-energy resources is a huge strategic blunder. This is not due to the objections raised so far, such as worries about the public-private ownership model or transgression of Maori water rights. The reason is arguably much more important than both of these concerns.

The Government has grossly underestimated the value of hydro-energy assets to New Zealand citizens. The assets are likely to be worth at least double the amount the Government is prepared to accept. This is because the valuations have apparently ignored the implications of clear signals that global energy costs and prices will increase greatly and permanently within the next 7 to 10 years.

Robins claims that this is proof that the government is doing the wrong thing. But he fails investing in shares 101.  Read more »

APN is going to target="_blank">outsource their advertising
to India according to NBR:

APN has told staff it
wants to outsource most of its advertising production to an
offshore company. The proposal comes as the publisher of the Herald
newspaper reported
a significant annual loss amid declining
revenues last month. APN New Zealand chief executive
Martin Simons says the company has been in talks with providers in
India and a preferred vendor has been selected. However, APN staff
first have the chance to submit feedback to the proposal by March
7.

Read more »