August 20, 2013
Media Release

1500 rally against employment changes

Fifteen hundred Wellington workers rallied in Petone today to oppose National’s employment law changes, which threaten to cut the pay of New Zealand workers and remove basic rights at work.

The rally is the first of three being held in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch over the next two weeks.

Nurses, factory workers, teachers, and cleaners were among groups of workers who attended the lunchtime rally to send a message to the Government.

EPMU national secretary Bill Newson says today’s rally is just the start of a campaign for fairness at work. 

“Today’s big turnout sends a strong message to the Government that workers don’t want these law changes. We want our Government to focus on creating jobs and lifting wages, not finding new ways to take away our rights and cut our pay.

“Momentum against the changes is building. Already, 12,000 workers have made submissions against the bill. We’ve had 1,500 people at a rally in Wellington today, and in South Auckland next week we’re expecting a turnout of thousands.

“We urge the Government to listen to workers and drop these unfair laws.”

The proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act will allow employers to:

• Refuse to negotiate a collective agreement with their employees
• Pay new workers less than the rate in the collective agreement
• Opt out of industry agreements in order to undercut their competitors on wages
• Deny workers meal and rest breaks
• Reduce the wages and conditions of vulnerable workers such as cleaners when a contract changes.
• Dock the pay of workers taking partial strike action
• Impose more restrictions on the right to strike
• Refuse to provide employees the information they need to challenge an unfair redundancy or dismissal

Rally details:

Auckland
Wednesday 28 August
1pm to 2pm
Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau

Christchurch
Thursday 29 August
10.30am to 11.30am
Wigram Air Force Museum

ENDS

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