The so-called sector ‘agreements’ concerning migrant labour announced yesterday will undermine wages and conditions in key sectors and would have never been agreed to if actual consultation had taken place, according to FIRST Union General Secretary Dennis Maga.

"The name ‘sector agreements’ implies that there has been some kind of agreement between relevant parties in the industries concerned, and this is not the case," said Mr Maga.

"We represent workers in three of the five industries for which sector agreements have been announced by Immigration Minister Michael Wood - construction, meat and seafood - but there has been no consultation with us whatsoever."

"There is no clear justification for exempting workers in these sectors from the median wage protection that will be extended to workers in other industries."

"Given the lack of consultation on this proposal, it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that this a cheap labour stitch-up between the Government and businesses."

"In the construction industry, for example, the average hourly wage has now reached $33.77, and is growing at 5-6 percent per year. Enabling employers to recruit for almost $9 dollars an hour below this seems a clear attempt to constrain wage growth here in one of our key productive industries."

"The immigration rebalance was supposed to push back against this kind of wage repression, but it seems that the Government is conspiring to undercut this approach."

Mr Maga said that immigration reinvestment, including improving pay and conditions for existing migrant workers in Aotearoa, must take priority over rebalancing immigration numbers as a band-aid solution.

"There are people already here who would significantly benefit New Zealand by upskilling or retraining for these key sectors," said Mr Maga.

"Returning to the open-door migration policies of the last decade will damage the economy and undermine important steps towards growing productivity."

"We talk about moving towards a high wage economy, but as soon as wages actually start growing, employers appeal to the Government to relax rules."

"The Government needs to stay the course and accept that we can’t have a high wage economy without wage growth."

© Scoop Media