MEDIA RELEASE
05 December 2003

New Law Prompts Hysterical
Reaction from Employers

Changes in employment law have provoked hysterical reactions from some employer organisations, who seem stuck in a mindset that workers are the enemy, rather than one of their most valuable assets, the Council of Trade Unions president, Ross Wilson, said today.

The Government tabled the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill in Parliament yesterday. Its proposals will help the most vulnerable and low-paid workers, and strengthen their ability to bargain collectively.

“The proposed amendments mean greater choice for workers – many of whom have been forced on to individual contracts by the actions of their employers.

“One employer spokesperson has even claimed that employers are engaged in class warfare,” Ross Wilson said. “He ignores the reality that CTU is committed to working constructively with employers and the Government to create a high skill, high value economy.”

Ross Wilson said there had been major economic gains over the three years since the Employment Relations Act came in.

“Many low-paid workers haven’t had their share of those gains, and we expect the proposed new law to help us redress that imbalance.”

ENDS

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