Sanjay, the Pizza Hutt worker who delivered John Key’s pizza earlier this week and who, according to Mr Key, thinks John Key’s idea of a 90 day trial period is a good idea, should know that Prime Minister John Key voted against him getting minimum wage last year.
Mr Key obviously doesn’t know that workers like Sanjay have no rights anyway because Pizza Hutt drivers are independent contractors and not covered by basic employment laws, let alone trial periods.
Last year, I tried to persuade the National Party to support my members’ bill (Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill) which would have ensured that so-called “independent contractors” like Sanjay would have received at least the minimum wage.
But guess what, they voted against it and the opportunity was lost.
Much of John Key’s and Kate Wilkinson’s pronouncements about their proposed labour changes this week are based on a view that is sharply skewed by their contact with employers. The Labour Department evaluation of the 90 day trial period interviewed ar0und 3,500 employers and just 13 workers, so one has to question how balanced the evidence is that the PM is basing his decisions on.
John Key tried to make out he was sympathetic to workers like Sanjay this week by telling the story of this pizza delivery guy who came to his mansion in Parnell.
But when he had a chance to really make a difference to Sanjay and other contract workers, his government failed.
@StephenR – The evaluation talked to more then 3,500 employers and just 13 workers. Something wrong there.
I agree.
…though it depends what line of questioning you subjected them to. I suppose employers were the focus of the survey as they’re easy to contact, and the success or failure of these measures is judged on how employers use them. Getting hold of workers (would they have to be fired workers) would be difficult though not impossible.
Quite right, some difficulties there but certainly not impossible methinks, e.g. the companies could always have said “feel free to send us the surveys or call us between these times and we’ll make sure our employees are available to respond”
yeah right
Sounds like the Labour department has become the Employer department if they have no statistical process for surveying employees on this or other important matters
Read this article on employment law changes in Australia, note the different approach to here
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/libs-promise-simple-way-to-dismiss-workers/story-fn59niix-1225895822763
@Tracey – a collaborative approach maintaining a modicum of principles of justice…..NACT will never go for it.
I guess that’s not what they mean by “close the gap”
Was the DoL survey really done in-house? If not, then something smells.
During the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 in America, the robber baron Jay Gould was reputed to have remarked, “I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.”