Labour Day a Time to Commit to Fair And Safe Workplaces

As New Zealanders celebrate Labour Day, Labour Leadership candidate Grant Robertson is making a re-commitment to ensuring all working New Zealanders get a fair deal at work. Grant Robertson will participate in Labour Day events in Auckland today and will visit workers at North Shore Hospital to sign up to his commitments.

"Labour Day is an important reminder of the hard work done by workers and unions to give everyone the chance for fair pay, good conditions and safety at work. These are basic rights that have only come about because people have stood up and fought for them, and today is a great day to say thanks to all those who have been part of that movement."

"This year it is particularly important as the National government pushes through changes to take away guaranteed meals breaks, remove protections for workers when the contractor they work for changes and undermines collective bargaining, including in big agreements for teachers and nurses."

"The Cabinet papers make it clear these measures will allow employers to lower wage rates at a time when many workers are struggling to make ends meet. Working New Zealanders deserve better than that from their government.

"It is also important to acknowledge those who have died or been injured in workplace accidents. Every worker deserves the right to know that they will come home safe from work each night. We can not stand by when our workplaces are twice as dangerous as Australia and four times as the United Kingdom. We need to strengthen health and safety requirements in the workplace to give working people and their families the confidence that they are safe at work."

"A Labour government I lead will make a new commitment to fairness and safety at work. Today, in honour of the eight day I am making eight commitments to working New Zealanders to support and protect them under the next Labour government. Labour has always been the party of work and workers and I will uphold that proud tradition," Grant Robertson said.

ENDS

2014 LABOUR DAY COMMITMENTS

A Labour government I lead will ensure a fair deal at work and a safe working environment for working people in New Zealand, including through:

- Restoring the expectation that collective bargaining should be concluded
- Ensuring the basic legal rights to meal and rest breaks are restored
- Protecting workers and their conditions when the contractor that they work for changes.
- Lifting the minimum wage immediately in real terms to the equivalent of $16.25 an hour.
- Supporting the Living Wage movement
- Improving safety at work by strengthening accountability requirements for employers
- Supporting small businesses and contract workers to provide fair and safe workplaces
- Dealing with zero hour contracts, rostering and other practices that cause insecruity for workers

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