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"I will donate $20 each week to support the striking hospital workers but only if 10 other New Zealanders will too."
— Idiot/Savant
Deadline to sign up by: 20th July 2007
10 people signed up
Country: New Zealand
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Hospital service staff - primarily cooks and cleaners - have been campaigning for the last year to get a national collective agreement covering all service staff in all public hospitals. They've been mostly successful - the DHB's support the move, and most of the contractors they hire have been convinced to sign up as well. The sole holdout is contracting company Spotless Services Ltd, which holds the contract for hospital cleaning and services in Invercargill, Palmerston North, Hastings, Wanganui, Tauranga, Rotorua, North Shore, Waitakere, Middlemore, North Shore, Waitakere, Whangarei and Northland.
Spotless's cleaners have issued strike notices, and in return have been locked out of their jobs. This means they will be without income for as long as the strike and / or lockout lasts. Ongoing financial support is needed to help them in their struggle.
The Service and Food Worker's Union has set up an account for public donations, as well as an 0900 number (0900 LOCK OUT (0900 56256) for donations. What I'm proposing is that we commit to giving them $20 a week each (the cost of two calls to that 0900 number) for as long as the lock-out lasts. It's not a lot, but every bit helps.
The relatively short turnaround is so we can get donations flowing by the end of the week. The low trigger number has been chosen to be achievable. Note that people can still sign up for a pledge which has met its target, but is still open, and I'd encourage people to do so. The more people who sign up, the stronger a statement of support it will be.