Last Wednesday (the 30th of January
2013) Event Cinemas Highland park Theatre Closed its doors for the last time
outside some of the workers (many of whom have been laid off due to the
closure) engaged in an impromptu Les Miserables Re-enactment with red Flags and
Placards. But the lay-offs are not the biggest tragedy rather the pathetic redundancy
pay, Just two weeks for all laid off employees, that has been offered by
management to workers who have served as many as 17 years. This is pathetic
compared to other western nations that have redundancy pay set in law. This
struggle has quite a few parallels with Les Miserables where the poor find
themselves repeatedly victimised by the rich despite already being
significantly disadvantaged. Here are workers who simply want to support
themselves and often their families while a company with plenty of money to
spare tries to maximise profits once again at the expense of workers. When a
group of workers attempted to meet with management on the 29th of
January accompanied by supporters and Unite union staff they were turned away
and asked to immediately leave the premiss New Zealand workers deserve more
than this.
The workers themselves however have not lost
hope and have decided to use this opportunity to bring the issue of redundancy
pay into the open for the benefit of all workers. The struggle that Highland
Park cinema workers are leading could have lasting implications for New Zealand
workers redundancy pay is taken for granted in many western countries but in
New Zealand it is left up to the employer to decide the amount allocated when a
worker is made redundant. I would argue that only by taking power into their
own hands can workers archive such conditions.
A Solidarity event is planned for the Thursday
the 7th of February at event cinemas Queen Street.
