The government’s third and final reading of Employment Relations Bill (No 2) and Holidays Amendment Bill, which went through the House today means that unfair employment laws are on their way.
The government pushed through the final stages of two pieces of legislation that attack the rights of wage and salary earners. Both of these bills will impact on health and safety and the rights to challenge the decisions of employers in unjustified dismissals. They will inevitably reduce protections for all workers.
Labour strongly opposed both bills all through the process, along with thousands of submitters and 22,000 workers who marched, rallied and campaigned against them, but National ignored all opposition.
The only small ray of hope in the debate was that the Maori Party changed its mind and voted against the Holidays Amendment Bill. Good on them.
But the National Party couldn’t even do the third reading justice. Their members gave pitiful 3 minutes speeches parroting the government lines – which I thought was a disgrace.
I question whether today was an appropriate day to consider these bills, given the awful situation at Pike River Coal Mine. I don’t think the government gave any thought to the connection between the birth of the Labour Party and the role that miners have played in improving rights for all NZ workers. It certainly wouldn’t have considered that many of the miners on the West Coast are members of the EPMU and one of the missing men is an EPMU delegate.
Unfortunately, all workers will soon be facing the consequences of reduced rights. A sad day all round.
Could you remove all my posts,I never thought I would see the day the workers party would pander to rightwing thinking.You need to grow some nuts and attack these people for their gross abuse in the halls of Power.I am ashamed of what you subscribe to and currently stand for.The Labour Party needs to get back to grassroots
@Dave Phillips : I have emailed you.
@Dave Phillips We have to exercise moderation on Red Alert otherwise it would be dominated by ugliness and trolling behaviour from the right wingers who want to divert the discussion and discourage good people from participating in the discussion.
We want real people with genuine views to contribute to Red Alert. Many people are commenting for the first time in an online forum. Your comments are very valuable. And I’d encourage you to get more people you know to visit RA and comment.
I know you won’t always agree with our moderation policy.
What we’re also trying to do is allow good arguments to develop. Lots of people don’t understand how legislation is passed through the House and how urgency is used by a tool by the government and what redress the Opposition has to push back and try to insert some democracy into the process. But it’s hard when you don’t have the numbers and when the minority parties, particularly the Maori Party blithely vote with the government on Bills that directly affect their constituents.
So don’t give up on us.
“showed that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are expecting to employ more staff,” Survey
So it’s not a fact that more jobs have been created as the Minister mischieviously said yesterday, it’s an expectation they will hire more.
I dont find the survey compelling enough to say it’s as factual as Ms Wilkinson said
“right wingers who want to divert the discussion and discourage good people from participating in the discussion.”
There’s a reason why we’re called right wingers, because we’re right. Also it’s not a discussion if everyone agrees.
Actually it can be: an exchange of ideas between like minds, for instance.
No, its because you’re always right, despite reality.
Ah I see. Typical progressive construct. Unable to make your minds up as an individual, have to collectivise thought and employ group think to get anything done.
Infinity, if you had spent some time in the private sector doing real productive work you might understand
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Something every first year grad knows buddy.
I do work in the private sector, and every day I sit through a tedious meeting where lame people advocate team work for fourty-five minutes and then we end up deciding on the best idea that an individual brought with him before the meeting started.
Teamwork is only good when you’re working towards a pre-set goal, like in a sports team or a construction project. If you’re trying to decide something like policy or how to solve an unforseen problem, it’s ALWAYS more efficient and effective to rely on someone’s individual brilliance than a compromise filled verdict from some committee.
Yeah and that is exactly what both Lenin and Mao believed, awesome.
LOLz
Tell me what private sector company you work at so I can get my broker to liquidate my holdings at the bell tomorrow.
Allright Mr moderator I get gist I promise I will allways be as vicious as I can without suffering the wrath of Mr Delete.This is by no way an apology to any rightwing supporter it’s just a way of saying watch this space.