Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Zero accuracy in business survey on ERA changes


Zero accuracy in business survey on ERA changes

The Employment and Manufacturers Association and Business New Zealand have released the annual Mood of the Boardroom survey in association with the New Zealand Herald.

FIRST Union is concerned about the lack of statistical rigour in the surveys. The options on the question regarding business opinion on the ERA are geared towards a negative result. In statistics this technique elicits a response bias because these are leading questions to a particular answer (there is no neutral or ‘not concerned’ answer). Business New Zealand has apologised for the survey question.

FIRST Union Secretary Dennis Maga says the surveys lack simple validity measures so should not be taken seriously.

“The options on the Mood of the Boardroom survey are all negative, there is no option for companies to say what part of the bill they are happy with, or that they are not concerned by the proposed changes. Their questioning is far from statistically sound, in fact it’s completely geared towards the answers they want.”

Mr Maga says it shows the organisation is trying to push old and dated business models.

It shows they’re becoming desperate, workers just might get a fair deal and they’re going to desperate measures to stop that. I don’t take these surveys seriously and for the sake of the wellbeing of workers and the New Zealand economy neither should anyone else.”

Mr Maga says the EMA and Business NZ are blowing the business community’s concerns out of proportion to suit their own agendas.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

The EMA is ignoring the opinions of progressive businesses, businesses that we are seeing more and more of. The EMA and its affiliate Business NZ are trying to enforce a system that doesn’t work, that hoards money away from the everyday hard-working New Zealander. It is important we get employment law right, for every New Zealander.”

He says the EMA only considers one side of what makes an economy run well.

These organisations only represent half of the economy, whereas production and distribution, in other words workers and their spending power, make up the other half of a healthy economy, one that’s flush with spending power.”

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.