Media release: FIRST Union

Thursday October 30, 2014

Unnecessary law changes more to do with ideology

The government’s employment law changes are simply ideological and are at odds with its approach in the related areas of health and safety and immigration law, FIRST Union said tonight.

Parliament has just passed the final stages of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill.

The bill weakens collective bargaining provisions, puts more barriers in the way of workers taking industrial action in support of a wage claim, puts access to meal and rest breaks at risk and removes protections for certain vulnerable workers.

“The government has recognised the need for stronger regulation in both workplace health and safety and in dealing with exploitation of migrant workers,” said Robert Reid, General Secretary, FIRST Union.

“Yet in these employment law changes, they are promoting more precarious and insecure work and trying to attack the very mechanism that is most successful in lifting wages.”

“Collective bargaining is one of the most effective tools workers have. It works. If the government had any interest in lifting wages it would strengthen collective bargaining not attack it.”

“In recent months hundreds of workers at PAK’nSAVE supermarkets have joined our union and won their first ever collective agreements that have substantially increased their wages from the minimum wage to over $16.00 per hour.”

“The current system is working to enable us to support these poorly paid retail workers to get a fairer share.”

“It’s hard to see how the government’s cuts to work rights are anything other than an attempt to keep PAK’nSAVE and other employers paying minimum wages when they can afford to pay well above this.”

Robert Reid said it was deeply ironic that the government’s law change coincided with news that New Zealand remains one of the easiest places to do business, in World Bank rankings just out yesterday.

“New Zealand doesn’t have a problem with businesses having good conditions in which to operate. It has a problem with low wages, and the wider social costs that come with it in health, housing and many other areas. The government’s priorities are completely wrong,” Robert Reid said.

Ends.

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