Free Press

ACT’s regular bulletin

Window Washers
Traffic light window washers exist in every city. Whangarei, for instance, had a much-loved guy who wore a Santa suit and gave his takings to charity at Christmas time.

The Police Pounce
Last week the police started arresting them but Free Press can’t work out how the washers got around all the other government departments. By breaking practically every law, the window washers showed how much Government most businesses have to deal with. Here’s a selection:

Worksafe
Under the new health and safety legislation the washers are Persons Conducting Business Undertakings (PCBUs). Do they elect safety representatives? How often do they meet to discuss health and safety, did they have a hazards register and what of their Personal Protective Equipment?

IRD
Were they paying GST, PAYE, or company tax? Businesses are required to file every fortnight for one or other of these taxes. They should have been shut down for breaking the tax laws alone.

ACC
Working on the road is dangerous. The Minister of ACC should have calculated how dangerous and issued a sector-specific levy for window washers. Most business face compulsory ACC levies unless they are large enough to opt out of ACC.

Kiwisaver
Did they opt out of Kiwisaver, or were they illegally pocketing all of their income without opting out of the scheme or making a contribution into it?

Minister for Women
There is almost no female representation amongst the window washer gang. The Minister for Women should have set a target for gender equity amongst window washers.

Children’s Commissioner
The level of window washing spikes during school holidays, why didn’t the newly elected children’s commissioner act?

Ngati Whatua
Did the window washers recognise Ngati Whatua as Mana Whenua in the Greenlane rohe? There should have been a consultation to ensure that the activity fits with Ngati Whatua’s cultural aspirations.

The Council
Like most councils, Auckland Council has a fee for everything. The washers should have been stopped for not adhering to a council licencing regime. Quite apart from that, was intersection window washing even permitted under the District Plan?

The Water
Water is a key ingredient in window washing, but who owns it? See Ngati Whatua, above.

A Growth Industry?
Could intersection window washing be an innovation in the service industry? If so, could they qualify for a grant from one of Steven Joyce’s various slush funds?

Employment Law
Could the washers be legitimately considered contractors and, if they were employees, did they have the option of joining a union? What about holidays, did motorists tip the fifty per cent extra on recent holidays such as ANZAC day? Were they taking adequate breaks?

Statistics
It is almost impossible to get a hold of statistics on the intersection window washing industry. Did the minister of statistics require them to complete any mandatory surveys?

Immigration
(For New Zealand First Supporters) Were they all New Zealand born and, if immigrants, were any of them taking a job off a ‘real’ Kiwi? Did they advertise properly and demonstrate that no Kiwis could do the job?

The Companies Office
How were they trading? If not as sole traders did they register a company and are their filings up to date?

Environment
(See council consenting) What of the chemicals they were using, did they fit with environmental guidelines?

Not the Wild West
These are only some of the compliance issues that New Zealand businesses face (we couldn’t quite stretch to window washers being touched by the Financial Markets Authority). Many government services are useful and efficient, others aren’t, but it is a myth that New Zealand is any kind of unregulated wild west.

All Apologies
Last week Free Press used an analogy that suggested the Labour Party were Christian Cullen. Free Press apologises unreservedly to the great man for this unfortunate slight, and offers readers another snippet of his brilliance, this time a 103m try against Italy.

ends

© Scoop Media