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News Release

EPMU launches “Things just got tougher” campaign against unfair workplace law changes

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) launched its “Things just got tougher” campaign today, opposing the government’s unfair new workplace law changes that take effect on Friday 1st April and demanding employers promise not to use the laws.

From 1st April law changes will take effect that extend the 90-day “fire-at-will” law to all workplaces, restrict union access, allow employers to demand a medical certificate for a single day of sick leave or family leave, and allow the selling off of the fourth week of holiday entitlement.

“Hundreds of EPMU delegates and organisers across the country are approaching employers to pledge not to use these unfair new workplace laws or putting up claims for their collective employment agreements that strengthen ‘Fairness at Work’,” says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

“These activities will be supported by a multimedia campaign including online ‘clicktivism’, radio and newspaper advertising, and online social media information pages,” says Andrew Little.

“These laws were passed at the height of the nation’s grieving over the explosion at the Pike River mine and even though there’s been more tragedy since, the government is insisting on going ahead with these attacks on basic work rights”.

“The National Party would like everyone to quietly accept their unfair and unjust new laws but Kiwi workers won’t be fooled by the government’s spin on 1st April”.

“These new laws aren’t about making good management better. They’re to protect bad employer behaviour. And they’re designed to make it harder for workers to have their voices heard in the workplace”.

“Workers are entitled to be safe in their place of work, to exercise their freedom of choice about belonging to a union and to be treated fairly and properly by their employer.”

“Employers are very good at demanding standards of behaviour for employees. Employees are also entitled to demand acceptable standards of behaviour from their employers.”

The EPMU is New Zealand’s largest private sector union, representing 43,000 workers across eleven industry sectors.

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