The Public Service Association is backing calls from the NZCTU for National and New Zealand First to reverse Employment Relations Minister Brooke van Velden’s latest moves to limit worker rights.
PSA National Secretary Kerry Davies says the coalition Government has already overseen an erosion of worker rights including ending Fair Pay Agreements and reinstating 90-day trials.
“Now Minister van Velden plans to introduce an Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which would deny workers who have been misclassified as contractors their fundamental rights,” Kerry says.
The Bill has been proposed after the Court of Appeal upheld an Employment Court ruling that four Uber drivers were employees not contractors.
The Appeal Court ruling was seen as setting a precedent that meant workers who felt they had been misclassified as contractors would be considered employees and so entitled to important rights to things like minimum wages, annual leave and sick leave.
“The Minister’s proposed Bill encourages businesses to exploit the contractor loophole and deny workers fundamental rights including collective bargaining, annual leave, sick leave, holiday pay, and the right to join a union,” Kerry says.
“These changes would deny vulnerable workers pay, conditions and job security in order to boost corporate profitability and leave workers open to exploitation by unscrupulous employers.”
Kerry says the PSA strongly supports the New Zealand Council of Trade Union (NZCTU) call for National and New Zealand First to block this ACT policy that is a fundamental clawback of rights for workers.
Worker voice needed on Health and Safety priorities
The PSA is also calling for Minister van Velden to prioritise the voice of workers in her review of health and safety laws.
The PSA, along with other unions and the NZCTU, is concerned the review will lead to a weakening of a long-standing consensus on improving workplace health and safety. The PSA is also concerned at what appears to be a lack of willingness by the Minister to engage with unions on this important issue.
“Any changes to the health and safety laws must be undertaken in consultation with workers and their unions. Workers are the most at risk from poor health and safety practice and they are well placed to be able to make a meaningful contribution strengthening New Zealand’s approach to health and safety.”
“New Zealand workers have the right to a safe workplace and to be able to come home safely at the end of the day. That must be the number one priority of any review to health and safety laws,” Kerry says.
As part of the review the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) is currently consulting on New Zealand’s health and safety system.
To help ensure PSA member input into the review PSA delegates will be joining other union representatives at an Ensuring a Worker Voice Health & Safety forum on Monday (23 September).
The NZCTU forum is being held at Parliament and co-hosted by Labour MP Camilla Belich and Green MP Teanau Tuiono, who are their parties’ spokespeople for Workplace Relations and Safety.
“The forum is an opportunity for working people and their unions to provide collective input into the consultation process,” Kerry says.
