Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Smashing Youth Rates

There was a great protest against youth rates in Wellington today. You can find more about it here

One of the highlights was Renee, a 16 year-old cafe worker who was paid just $6.30 for working as a barista, when people over 18 were getting $12. She later did an interview with Checkpoint and you should listen to it.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:14 am

    Holy crap, I wish I was that articulate at 16. Or, you know... now.

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  2. Anonymous11:15 am

    Great stuff that protest.

    Now the spotlight is right on the Labour government who maintain youth rates and the super exploitation of children.
    The spotlight's also on the rest of the trade union movement to stop whining about what might happen if Brash gets back in 2008 and get stand up to the capitalistic pricks working us over in the here and now.

    What can wishers do to ensure the anti youth rate momentum is kept up?

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  3. Anonymous5:58 pm

    and a slave can work really really hard and work themselves out of slavery....

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  4. Anonymous10:15 am

    'Ever had an employee Maia?'

    - This pretty much sums up the problem with capitalism and it's acolytes and apologists. You think you own the people you employ. You take their lives (8 hours a day), treat them and pay them like crap, and then have the cheek to profit from stealing their live. And then you expect them to like it.

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  5. And why exactly is having more unemployed 20yr olds preferable to more unemployed 16yr olds?

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  6. the prophet: actually research suggests otherwise and doesn't support your claims.

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  7. theprophet - I didn't delete your comment, because I haven't yet posted my comments policy - but personal attacks are not welcome - you could have made your points without making ridiculous (and in this case false) assumptions and personal attacks.

    You may think your personal experience is more important than research - but forgive me if I don't think that's a good basis for making public policy.

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  8. Anonymous4:42 pm

    Well I'm 58 next birthday and I think capitalism sucks and marxist theory rocks. I also think that advancing years do not necessarily bring wisdom. I keep learning lots of new stuff from high school and university students students I work with.

    ReplyDelete