The CTU is calling for all sides of the debate on Fair Pay Agreements to use the information that is provided in the draft Bill, said CTU President Richard Wagstaff. 
 

"Some groups have recently been making statements that are not borne out by the actual words of the legislation. We should all be careful to make sure that the public has a clear understanding of what is proposed, and how it would really impact New Zealand workplaces.

"Fair Pay Agreements set minimum work standards for workers in particular occupations or industries. They are common overseas. Australia has them and has higher wages together with higher productivity and stranger economic growth. They can only start when enough workers ask for one, and involve negotiations between employers and employees.

"Fair Pay Agreements don’t stop workers from negotiating their contracts with employers. They don’t create set ways of working, set hours, or set wages. They simply stop situations in which employers force down wages and conditions below certain minimum levels. They give workers the power to negotiate better contracts knowing that they can’t fall below certain standards.

"Fair Pay Agreements have been Labour policy since 2017. Business New Zealand was involved in the working group that founded the current legislation. They have been worked over for a long time, any dishonest debate is just a desperate attempt by some to stop essential workplace reform. New Zealand needs Fair Pay Agreements, and they will improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable workers in New Zealand," says Richard Wagstaff.

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