Hon Trevor Mallard

Minister of Labour

25 June 2008 Media Statement

Workplace collaboration to lift productivity

Labour Minister Trevor Mallard today welcomed the opening of the Centre for High Performance Work as an important initiative to help boost workplace productivity through collaboration between workers and employers.

"The Centre for High Performance Work (www.chpw.co.nz/) is a joint venture between the Dairy Workers Union and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. It aims to work with New Zealand businesses to develop work practices that lead to increased productivity and business growth by integrating workers' shop floor knowledge into day-to-day production.

"This initiative recognises that a one size fits all approach to improving productivity does not work. What works for one business may not work for another. Productivity needs to be worked at by the people who best understand the business they operate in, and by employers and workers collaborating on what works best," Trevor Mallard said in a speech at the launch of the centre in Wellington today.

"It is heartening to see unions and businesses working together alongside the government to create high performing workplaces that help raise wages and the standard of living for all New Zealanders.

"This centre also complements our work in the Workplace Productivity Agenda – a partnership between the government, through the Department of Labour, and our social partners, Business New Zealand and the Council of Trade Unions.

"To date, we have focused on raising awareness about productivity issues with businesses and with workers and providing resources such as the productivity toolkit to businesses to diagnose the areas in the workplace that most need change.

"The next stage of the Workplace Productivity Agenda is implementing several projects around New Zealand that involve unions, training organisations and employer groups in specific industries to raise productivity in the workplace," Trevor Mallard said.

ENDS

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