Redundancy Protection Bill held back for debate
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Aug 19 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Redundancy Protection Bill held back for debate
Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 4:22 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
19 August 2009
Media Statement
Redundancy Protection Bill held back for national debate
Labour MP Darien Fenton has delayed her Redundancy Protection Bill to allow time for all political parties to properly consider the implications of the current law – under which most New Zealand workers can be laid off without any redundancy pay or notice.
Fenton says the while the bill was due for first reading today, the issue is too important and needs a proper national debate.
“Every day hundreds of Kiwi workers are being laid off with no redundancy protection. Now more than ever we need to have a serious public discussion about redundancy and get some protections for Kiwi families into law.
“We saw how desperately this bill is needed just yesterday when 154 workers at Transfield and another 45 at Tritec were sent out the door without any redundancy payment. There are thousands more like them who never even make the news.
“Each one of these redundancies is a personal tragedy to the worker involved and to their families, as well as a blow to the economy. As the recession continues more and more Kiwi families will experience this pain.
“My bill is designed to make sure that every New Zealander who faces redundancy does so knowing they have some basic financial security until they get back on their feet.”
Fenton says New Zealand workers are now among the easiest and the cheapest in the world to sack.
“In nearly every comparable country redundancy protections are written into law. Even Australia has recently introduced redundancy protections because they recognise the importance of helping working families get through the recession.
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“I want to give all political parties, including National, the chance to think seriously about the desperate situations facing many families, to talk to laid-off workers in their electorates and to cast their votes as true representatives of the New Zealanders who are facing hard times,” says Ms Fenton.
The Redundancy Protection Bill is based on the recommendations of the Public Advisory Group on restructuring and redundancy, which advised the government to consider introducing minimum redundancy protections for all workers.
ENDS
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