Bridges ignores warnings of troubled waters

new-zealand-labour-party

Fri Jul 19 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Bridges ignores warnings of troubled waters

Friday, 19 July 2013, 12:29 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

The ramifications of last minute changes to the Employment Relations Bill, which increase the ability of employers to pay low wages, will be felt by thousands of New Zealanders, says Darien Fenton, Labour's spokesperson for labour issues.

“The significance of the changes cannot be underestimated.

“An employer will be able to apply to the Employment Relations Authority for a declaration that bargaining has ended. If successful, workers will immediately be on individual contracts and outside the protections that collective bargaining provides.

"Currently collective agreements continue for a year after their expiry, and where this happens, employers cannot try to convince workers to sign individual contracts.

"Under the proposed changes workers will not be able to bargain or strike for 60 days, leaving them exposed and vulnerable to pressure from an employer to agree to pay cuts and reductions in conditions on individual contracts.

“Cabinet papers released yesterday show Simon Bridges, the Minister of Labour, has been warned of the severity of the changes and the likelihood they will expose New Zealand to international embarrassment through a complaint of breaches of International Labour conventions 87 and 98.

"It is incredible that Mr Bridges continues to claim these changes are moderate when clearly they will have a knock-on effect for all New Zealand workers and do nothing to remedy the low wage regime the government seems determined to pursue.”

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