NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system.

“Brooke van Velden’s changes will prevent workers from getting justice and compensation when they are fired without a good reason or mistreated at work,” said Wagstaff.

“There should be a level playing field between workers and their bosses, but the scales are already weighted against working people. The Minister is planning to make that situation much worse.

“Employers are being encouraged to disregard procedural fairness and natural justice. The changes will remove the ability of workers to receive compensation on the grounds of humiliation, loss of dignity and injured feelings if it can be proved a worker has contributed to the situation in some way. Employers will go on fishing expeditions, trawling for any tiny errors a worker has made in their job or their application for justice.

“It is absurd that under these changes, financial remedies for workers would be reduced by up to 100%. Workers who win their case may end up receiving nothing.

“Van Velden is ignoring her own officials who have said there is little evidence to back up these changes, that they would “significantly impede access to justice”. Officials also noted that there will be a disproportionate impact on low-income workers. She has also blocked them from undertaking a proper review of the system.

“Unions, workers, and the community must come together and fight back against Brooke van Velden’s radical workplace relations agenda. We will not accept her repeated attempts to dismantle workers’ rights in this country,” said Wagstaff.

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