FIRST Union is proud to be supporting Maranga Ake, today’s nationwide hui of the union movement of Aotearoa, and says that the current National-ACT-NZ First Government poses a significant threat to hard-won workplace rights and threatens the future prosperity and employment protections of workers in all industries.

Dennis Maga, FIRST Union General Secretary, says that while the union has opposed several of the Government’s "regressive" policies like the reintroduction of 90-day trial legislation and the cancellation of Fair Pay Agreements, the greatest threat to workers’ wellbeing at present comes from Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden’s planned changes to contracting law.

"We’re joining the movement today because our country’s sovereignty and working freedoms are being compromised by politicians selling out our lawmaking to overseas companies like Uber," said Mr Maga.

"The union movement has not undergone decades of struggle and strife only to have the freedoms we won cast aside in one term of Government."

Mr Maga pointed to recent revelations that Minister Brooke Van Velden’s planned principles for "reform" of contracting law appear to have been written largely by Uber lobbyists. Her proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act would weaken employment rights, increase contractor misclassification and sanction continued tax avoidance by companies like Uber, Mr Maga said.

"While unions spent May Day this year rallying to celebrate the achievements of workers, Minister Van Velden welcomed Uber to her office for a chat and ended up turning their lobbying into lawmaking," said Mr Maga.

"It’s not just existing contractors who should be concerned about the Minister’s weakening of employment law - permanent employment could become precarious if contracting misclassification by employers becomes widespread and accepted."

Mr Maga said that historically, unions were the answer to problems created by Parliament.

"The union movement is made up of hundreds of thousands of diverse and unique groups of people and workforces, and an attack on any industry is an attack on all of us," said Mr Maga.

"We deserve to be proud of country and proud of the significant victories won by workers, like the forty-hour working week, sick leave, holiday pay and collective bargaining."

"This is the time to stand up and fight back together against a brazen assault on workers’ rights while we still can."

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