New Zealand workers still facing cheap lay offs

new-zealand-labour-party

Tue Mar 23 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

New Zealand workers still facing cheap lay offs

Tuesday, 23 March 2010, 3:33 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

New Zealand workers still facing cheap lay offs

Labour says that New Zealand workers continue to suffer because of the government’s failure to support redundancy protection laws.

“Today, workers employed by Telecom 111 contractor Sitel in Palmerston North have had to resort to picketing Telecom for redundancy pay, because there is no other recourse in law,” says Darien Fenton, Associate spokesperson on labour issues.

“Sadly, the government continues to ignore the need for laws covering redundancy notice and pay.

“The Sitel workers are just another example of the thousands of workers who have been laid off with nothing to tide them over during the hard times.

Ms Fenton says that New Zealand is one of the cheapest and easiest countries in the developed world to lay off workers.

“Nearly every other developed country has minimum redundancy protections in law, except the United States. Australia has introduced generous redundancy protections and their unemployment rate is now well below ours.

“This is devastating for these workers and their families, especially when jobs are still hard to find. They join the thousands of other workers who have faced similar situations in the past 18 months.

“I’m again calling on the Minister of Labour to get behind my Redundancy Protection Bill, which is due for its first reading in April.

Let’s make sure no other group of workers like those at Sitel have to face the awful situation of redundancy without some basic security and dignity” says Ms Fenton.

ENDS

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