Govt. Officials Confirm Politicisation Of Employment Relations Authority
Government officials have confirmed that, for the first time in 10 years, Labour Minister Margaret Wilson has
politicised the country's official industrial relations institution, National Industrial Relations spokesperson Max
Bradford said today.
"The revelation has come during the questioning of Department of Labour officials at a Parliamentary select committee
today.
"The Labour Department has confirmed that it recommended to the Minister of Labour the names of 15 people to be
appointed to the Employment Relations Authority.
"Approximately two-thirds of the recommended appointments were accepted - and the rest were rejected.
"The officials have confirmed our earlier concerns that between four and six of the appointees to the ERA were made by
the Labour Minister without relying on the normal objective and non-partisan process that applied to Employment Tribunal
appointments in the past.
"Officials have confirmed that for at least ten years no Minister of Labour has overturned the recommendations of the
formal and objective appointment process.
"It has only been under the Labour-Alliance Government that we see the politicisation of appointments to New Zealand
industrial relations institutions becoming a reality.
"We've been warning about the Government's approach to the Employment Relations Authority for months. What we've got is
an Authority stacked with union and Labour Party hacks handpicked by the Minister.
"Employers must have little confidence in getting a fair hearing as a result," Mr Bradford said.
Ends
Regards
Anna Hughes