23 August 2006
Students happy with death of no work rights bill
Students are happy that National MP Dr Wayne Mapp’s no work rights bill is dead with the announcement from the Maori
Party that they will be joining with Labour and the Greens in opposing the legislation.
“Students have joined with unions in highlighting the negative consequences of giving employees no rights when they
start work,” said Conor Roberts, Co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA).
“Students could see that this bill would lead to their exploitation. Thousands of students finish studying at the end of
November then start back again at the end of February, that is a three month period, exactly the same amount of time
National wanted them to have no rights at work.”
“Students are in a vulnerable position when they first enter the workforce and this bill would have made their
employment even more tenuous when stable employment is what they need to save up for the year ahead.”
“We encourage all political parities to come up with positive solutions for bringing people into the workforce, not
bills that strip people of their basic rights,” concluded Mr Roberts.
ENDS