Avonside earthquake blog
The Department of Labour has updated it’s earthquake information for Christchurch businesses in light of what was learnt from the February 22nd earthquake. A wide range of information is covered in a question and answer format (here). The general categories and questions are listed below.
In addition the page contains links to Factsheets, FAQs and other government departments where the information is covered in more detail.
Over-arching advice – health and safety
Over-arching advice – employment relations matters
Additional Information
All this is here.
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The Minister of Corrections, Judith Collins, has announced a programme for retraining prisoners “… to help meet the demand for these skills in the Christchurch recovery.”
The following is from the media release:
“The second Christchurch earthquake has generated a huge demand for trade skills as the rebuild gets underway. To meet this demand, the Department of Corrections will be ramping up trade training in the areas of highest demand,” Ms Collins said.
“Over the next 12 months, between 130 and 160 new training placements in specific trades will be provided at Christchurch Men’s Prison.
“Three new training workshops will also be established in the low security area of the prison, which will deliver courses in painting, plastering, plumbing, drain laying and gas welding.
“Existing carpentry and joinery skills for house building and refurbishment training will also be expanded.
“The training workshops will be operational by late October and the first group of prisoners will be completing NZQA qualifications in the New Year.”
Very meritorious I’m sure. What, however, about the many thousands of workers who have lost jobs, or will do so in the next few weeks? It would be good to hear of training workshops, courses, and industry qualifications for those who are not in prison. At the moment the reward and punishment system seems to be upside down.
The full press release is here.
The CTU website has a page with information for Christchurch workers affected by the earthquake. Some of the information is specific to the period immediately after the 22nd of February, while the rest relates to now and the future. There are 10 earthquake and employment FAQ’s on the page, which can be found here.
Yesterday the CTU announced a programme called Together. The following is from their news page:
Together is a new organisation established and run by the unions affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. Together aims to connect workers in un-unionised work places with the union movement and the union experience. Membership, costing just $1 per week ($52 per year), gives employees and contractors, in industries and locations without union support, access to help and expert advice.
Together also offers family/whanau membership giving the opportunity for current union members to join up as many of their family and whanau as they want for just $1 per week. Family/whanau membership makes their family part of the union family and gives them the values and benefits union members share.
The government has a website for matching people’s skills with job vacancies. It is part of the government’s own careers website, but specifically for job seekers in Canterbury.
The site has a hint of the “What colour is your parachute” book, written for those dead-ended in jobs, or unemployed, and trying to sort out what else they could try (if that doesn’t ring any bells, don’t worry). The advantage of the web site is that it matches your characteristics with jobs currently available.
It is simplistic, and there aren’t many jobs on some parts of it yet, but give it a go (more than once). If enough people try it out that will encourage those behind the scheme, and those employers contemplating listing vacancies. You can find it here.
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