Thursday 29th August 2013

Maori Party says the Government’s 90 day trial period fails to give job security

The Maori Party says the Government’s 90 day trial period introduced in 2011 which has allowed employers to dismiss new staff within 90 days without fear of being taken to court fails to give job security. Te Ururoa Flavell asked Labour Minister, Simon Bridges, to release the data on the numbers of employees sacked by the new law, in Parliament today.

“The latest figures show that 11,200 employers sacked staff within the 90 day period in the first year, and that is disgraceful. That means there are over 11,000 who have worked in an unstable environment not knowing whether or not they will have a job at the end of three months and may not have been given a reasonable explanation of why they have been dismissed. This is a further erosion of workers rights to fair employment conditions,” says Maori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell.

“We would have expected that the Government would have insisted on gathering data on this new legislation to explain why these workers were dismissed, how many were Maori or Pasefika or how even many may live with a disability or not. This kind of information is vital because it informs us about the status of some of the most vulnerable in communities.”

“The 90 day trial has resulted in cheap labour and it has not enhanced relations between employers and workers. That is why the Maori Party will be voting against the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which is a further attack on collective bargaining and enables employers to walk away from talks without having any commitment to return to the table.”

“Collective bargaining fought for by iwi, unions and workers has secured basic rights for employees such as break time, leave and wages. Our party has always spoken out in support of the right to be treated fairly and with dignity and to enjoy the stability of a safe and healthy work environment - these are fundamental rights for all workers in this country.”

“We promote the value of a living wage so that workers and their whānau can afford the basic necessities of life. We are utterly opposed to legislation that reduces worker rights, endangers their job security and decimates the good faith provisions of workplace bargaining.”

ENDS

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