9 April 2025

The Government just voted down a Bill that would stop companies from using labour hire arrangements to undercut wages and benefits.

“Too often, we see companies dodging the promises they made in collective agreements by contracting staff from another company that pays a lot less to its workers. This bill would have put a stop to that practice, making it clear that if someone is doing the job, they should get the same terms and conditions for their work,” Labour MP for Mt Albert Helen White said.

“All workers should have access to the same collective agreements, whether they work for a labour hire company or are directly employed staff. If an employer has already committed to paying its workers $40 an hour, then it should pay the same rate to anyone they bring in to do the same job.

“Well-paid jobs would have been protected under this bill, by ensuring fairer conditions for workers in sectors like construction, cleaning, and healthcare, where labour hire is more common, and workers are often left out of collective agreements.

“For example, a cleaner employed through a labour hire company but working at a hospital covered by a collective agreement would have been entitled to the same pay and conditions as hospital staff. It’s only fair that they get paid the same as the person they’re working next to who is doing the same job,” Helen White said.

Note: Full text of the Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill can be found here.

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