James Ritchie

More global organizing

 and struggle

 

The IUF Global Dairy Conference will have a large delegation from the New Zealand Dairy Workers Union (NZDWU), Sirel interviewed NZDWU General Secretary, James Ritchie, in order to know his expectations and considerations about this important meeting.

 

-The Conference is very soon ...

-Yes, and we are very excited about it. I understand there are unions coming from a big list of countries so it will be a well represented conference and this is very exciting.

 

We've got a delegation of four.  It is composed of myself, the Vice President of the union, Shane Stieller,  Frances Webster, Executive Committee member; Murray Kerse  a member of the Women Committee and organizer of the South Island of New Zealand 

 

We'll meet each other, share information and build some solidarity alliances.

 

-What are the main problems and challenges of this industry?

-The main challenge is the increasing consolidation of ownership of transnational food companies. We see companies like   Kraft, Nestlé, Danone and Fonterra continuing to expand and become the dominant players globally. 

 

The issues that we all face, as unions representing dairy workers, is the decrease in permanent and secure work and the increase of part time, casualization, contracting out, outsourcing, which is a technique being used by companies around the world

 

-What are the prospects, then?

-We must fight back as unions. If we are to represent our members appropriately, we must fight to defend decent work, collective agreements and permanent employment.

 

If we don't do that, companies will undermine other companies and work by using precarious employment and by the increased use of labor-hire firms, etc.   Those issues undermine and erode our abilities as unions to negotiate good wages and conditions of employment for the sector.

 

So, we as unions need to prepare each of our members to get a better understanding of the global fate of unsecure employment unless there is a resistance locally and globally.

 

-What are your expectations for the Conference?

-It is important to say that one of the goals of the NZDWU is to strengthen the network of unions with members in the dairy sector around the world  so that we can share information about standards of employment, about the issues of the sector, give each other solidarity and support, build bridges among IUF affiliates, and truly build a network which is able to defend standards of employment globally.