Labour and MUNZ
January 13th, 2012 at 10:01 am by David Farrar
Whale has this photo sent in by a reader. MUNZ receives $285,000 rent for space in their building.It is unknown how much comes from the electorate office rental.
MUNZ only has 2,580 members today. Doing pretty well to own their own building. Of course it helps if you have Labour MPs having the taxpayer pay rent on their behalf.
I’m generally against electorate offices being rented from political parties, or people or groups affiliated to a political party. A total ban is difficult as some MPs have purchased an electorate office so that they can secure the location, and in fact rent them back at well below market rentals.
However despite their good intentions, I think it is time to put in place a ban, so that unions and parties do not get this backdoor funding. The latest review of parliamentary spending recommended:
That MPs entering Parliament from the next general election not be able to receive public funding for out-of-Parliament offices owned by an MP or an interested party. The funding for premises owned directly or indirectly by current MPs should be grand-parented while the MP continues in Parliament.
MUNZ is affiliated to the Labour Party and should be seen as an interested party.
Another alternative to a ban, is my suggestion to have the rent set at say 66% or 75% of the market rate, so that the party or union or MP is not seen to be benefiting from the arrangement.
Related posts:
- Electorate Office ownerships
- Office rented from partner
- Greens to give up super fund getting taxpayer rent
- Parliamentary Party Funding
January 13th, 2012 at 10:10 am
Grandparenting existing , Yes. Percentage of market rental – 50%, no more. (That would cover costs unless the building is leveraged to the North Pole.)
Question: Does the law still provide for de-registered unions to have their assets frozen?
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 10:10 am
The best thing Labour could do is break its links with the unions. They can stay friends but no more money, votes etc. It’s a rort financed on the backs of low-paid workers.
Where is David Shearer? Of course I know he wouldn’t just be sunning himself in idle luxury but wherever he is – reading improving books, saving the kiwi or facing down Somali warlords – surely he has something to say on such an important story as the Port dispute.
Or won’t Grant let him?
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 10:29 am
mmm 2560 members – and hopefully about to lose 300 in auckland – or around $500k as you noted in an earlier post.
and a couple of other ports contract out to become more eficient
maybe this union will not exist in its current form in about 5 years.
Can you OIA the rents and the details of this cosy arrangement?
I know there is a penthouse suite on the top floor occupied by a Maritime union member – is this at a discounted rent – and is it subject to FBT. Or like the Unite Union are MUNZ above the law?
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 10:39 am
Monty, of course they are above the law. Laws are for so-called righties to abide by, and for the so-called lefties to work around or ignore. Not as we do, as we say is their catch cry. All wrapped up in faux intellectual look down your nose sneer.
I remember what my father went through with the unions as a business owner many years ago, and thought the unions had changed. From what Ive seen of the wonderful Parsloe, maybe I was wrong.
I wonder how quickly the union facade will crumble and how many will run to get jobs back on the wharves if the POAL CEO does make them redundent? Dont like seeing anyone made redundent, because it does impact families, but these guys really do sound like they have had it bloody good for a while, and the union have misread this by a country mile. Wonder what the feeling on the street is about all this.
I can only imagine the complete glee within the National cabinet at the moment – left wing council, left wing mayor, owning an asset under direct union threat. Talk about hoist on ones own petard, eh Lenny?
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 11:00 am
“MUNZ only has 2,580 members today. Doing pretty well to own their own building.”
I suspect they bought it a while back in the times of high union membership when they were flush with cash – now they are just reaping the benefits.
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 11:02 am
The percentage-of-market-rent idea may create all kinds of anomalies or different interpretations. Best to keep it simple.
Preferably, put a clear ban in place and provide a period of grace (e.g. to the 2014 Election) for any existing situations that don’t comply.
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 11:20 am
Of course Grant Robertson might be so happy with his landlord he doesn’t want Shearer to rock the boat.
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
I am at a loss to understand why Labour MPs, or any MP not in the National party for that matter, have electorate offices at all.
National is the government so their MPs should have staff and offices; the others are just seat warmers and should get nothing.
[DPF: So are you saying that when National was in opposition, it should have had no electorate offices?
I suspect again you are a left winger trolling by pretending to be a National supporter]
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
This latest snippet on the dispute from the Herals made me laugh:
‘Last night, the union released a “labour strategy” by the ports management, which Mr Parsloe said showed the company intended to contract out the workforce to private contractors before collective agreement negotiations began last year.
“There was never any intention to genuinely negotiate or mediate, there has just been public relations spin and an extreme anti-worker agenda,” Mr Parsloe said.
A Ports spokeswoman said the document was a draft, never represented company policy, and the author had been made redundant.
Mr Gibson had been committed to collective bargaining with no pre-determined plan to contract out the union workforce, she said.’
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
OMG. POA Management want to have control of their business rather than let the Labour party policies run it via the unions. Where will it end.
Vote:January 13th, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Oh and Pita Sharples is reported as being worried about the wharfies fanau. FFS that man is a clown
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