Worker’s rights dealt severe blow with Bill’s passing

The passing of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill is another blow to workers' rights in New Zealand, the Green Party said today.

This afternoon, National’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill passed with the support of Act and United Future.

“This bill will force wages down, keep workers in insecure jobs, and is a blatant attempt to undermine unions,” Green Party industrial relations spokesperson Denise Roche said today.

“Worker’s ability to collectively negotiate decent wages and conditions with their employer will be severely hampered due to this legislation passing.

“This legislation is a blatant attempt to undermine unions and limit a worker's ability to collectively negotiate decent wages and conditions with their employers.

“Employers now have all the power when it comes to negotiations.

“It tilts an already uneven playing field in the power relationship between the employer and the employee heavily into the employer's favour.

“Inequality in New Zealand will increase as National continues to push through legislation that undermines workers and their conditions,” Ms Roche said.

“The Bill allows employers to opt out of multi-employer bargaining, which, effectively, means we can wave goodbye to industry standards.

“It means employers can carry on competing on price by reducing wages below their competitors and so reinforces a low-wage economy.

“The meanness of this legislation is apparent in the removal of the only protection vulnerable workers have under the current provisions in section 6A.

“This is the clause that allowed the mostly low-paid workers employed by contract cleaning companies to at least kept the same pay and conditions if the contractor changed.

“The Green Party will continue to advocate for workers and their rights despite the passing of this mean spirited and backward looking legislation,” said Ms Roche.

ENDS

© Scoop Media