"Problems trying to put together a code of good faith under the new Employment Relations Act are entirely predictable," National's Industrial Relations spokesperson Max Bradford said today.

"A draft code of good faith has been released and people only have a week to look at it and make submissions.

"It is not surprising that employers and unions are having big troubles agreeing to what's in it. We have been warning the Labour Minister from the outset of big problems with her approach to "good faith". "The draft code includes a Treaty of Waitangi clause. This is another Trojan horse by the left in politics to extend the Treaty into areas never contemplated in 1840.

"The clause introduces reverse discrimination and separateness concepts into every New Zealand workplace where New Zealanders want to bargain collectively.

"Harmonious working relationships revolve around employers and employees working together and agreeing together - not around theTreaty of Waitangi.

"Unions are also using the Code to try to nullify parts of the Employment Relations Act.

"They want a provision preventing individual agreements from containing better conditions than collective agreements.

"The code is far too prescriptive. It will increase the complexity of doing business and employing people. The low paid and unskilled will suffer the most.

"It is more like a 'no' code of good faith - prescribing what can't be done rather than allowing the parties to be innovative and work and agree together."

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