10 August 2000

Greens pleased with Govt. support for amendment

Green Party Employment Spokesperson Sue Bradford today said she was very pleased with Government support for a Green Party amendment to the Employment Relations Bill.

The Government supported the Greens' amendment to Clause 22a which will ensure that employers could not unreasonably deny a union representative access to the workplace.

Ms Bradford said her amendment would address an imbalance in Clause 22 which placed obligations on unions in visiting sites but was silent on the obligations for employers to provide access to the work site.

"I am pleased the Government has seen the merit in this amendment," said Ms Bradford. "This is another example of how Green Party input into the whole process of this bill has resulted in better and fairer legislation."

The Greens are proposing five more amendments after this one and are still consulting with various parties on them.

Sue Bradford MP: 04 470 6720, 025 243 4239 Deborah Moran: (ERB Advisor): 04 470 6705

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