John Key told the Seafood Council today that if National is re-elected in November, further changes will be made to employment law.
I’m guessing they won’t be good changes for workers, especially when he boasted “trade unions won’t like them.”
He claims a flexible labour market is good for employers and workers. Does he mean the one in five women employed in the public sector who work overtime for no extra pay as reported today by the PSA? Does he meant the contribution they make of an estimated 2.5 million hours of unpaid work a year, worth about $54.5 million and equivalent to 1360 full-time jobs?
What I’m hearing repeatedly from John Key’s National Government now is that working people make no contribution to the economy – they have no role in productivity, should have no say in the workplace and most of all, should not expect either to have rights or to know anything about them.
Although the government has made some pretty hideous changes to employment rights, I thought we’d got past the real ideological crap of the past.
But it’s heading our way in force. Cuts to workers rights, low pay, asset sales and welfare changes – to name just a few things.
Sounds like a government with no plan to me.
Just like he said in 2008 — he wants to see wages go down.
Kia kaha Darren Hughes.
Is it just me, or are people, and even the lazy MSM, getting to the ‘once bitten twice shy’ stage with Key when he starts running his ‘changes will be minor and make things better and no one will be worse off’ lines?
He didnt mean closing the gap with australia, he meant closing the gap with Abyssinia.
An anonymous letter destroyed someone’s career. Can we construe from this that the young man allegedly at the center of this is not the one who initiated a complaint? It would be nice if there were a way back for DH
I recall when the 90 day no notice no reasons was first “sold” it was an interim measure to create jobs in a recession for small businesses, and many nay sayers said you watch, it’s only step number one… then it moved to all businesses and now…
Those employers and others who are championing this, I just hope you never have to rely on Natural Justice one day only to find it was signed away under urgency.
Sounds like a government with a plan to me. So can we please have a decent opposition.
There is a plan from National, Darien, I trow. Just not one beneficial for workers.
I also endorse heartily the support for Darren Hughes, sorely and maliciously treated by the media.
Yee haa! Hughes is a free man!
!!!!!!!!
Could you define ‘working people’? What does it mean to be a ‘working person’ rather than a non-working person? What about those working people who don’t fall into your definition of ‘working people’? Do these working people contribute more or less than the other working people? Are you a working person?
You’re dead right though, their employment legislation is shocking and they really shoudn’t be looking to the US for this stuff. Where do you look? Europe I hope.
one in five women employed in the public sector who work overtime for no extra pay – then we assume that this was the case under Labour as well – for nine long years. Do men who work overtime get paid?
you say the government has made some pretty hideous changes to employment rights. Like not cancelling the youth rates and therefore thousands of young people cannot get work as they are priced out of the market?
he [Key] boasted “trade unions won’t like them.” Looks like just what the country needs in that case. I don’t think John Key will loase any support.
Monty, when Labour were in power if someone left a public service job there was a recruitment process and they were generally replaced.
In the area of the public sector where I work we have lost, through attrition, sickness and retirement, 30% of our staff. Has service delivery ceased – no; have people willingly given extra hours (free of charge) to ensure essential services are delivered – yes!
Are people in those services tired and frustrated – yes; have the changes to recruitment brought in by the bean counters made any difference, not much. We have extra coffers in the budget we can try and spend on material resources (e.g equipment) before the end of the month, but the 8 fte not replaced for 9 months are long gone, as is any good will to do anything to assist the various ministries we serve.
Oh, forgot to add, in many instances this work is now being contracted out to external private companies – privatisation by stealth.
Be Ware the thin end of the Wedge,
For it comes for thee!
Here a tinker there a tinker
Everywhere a tiny tinker
And behold.
They have a Mandate!
Yes a Mandate to Remodel
New Zealand the way He sees it.
Sir John the Assassin
Will have His way. (Unless Democracy can stop him!)
@Ian
Then it’s about time they stopped giving it. Nothing is free and if they keep letting themselves be walked over by NAct then they’re doing both themselves and us a disservice. They get worked to death and we get worse services as NAct cut them back and back and back counting upon the people there to be so giving, so believing in public service (Which NActs don’t believe in) that they’ll work harder and harder for no extra.
Some junior schmuck from the EMA let the cat out of the bag on the radio this morning, spitting out some cliche about all workers being treated the same. Which, if I remember correctly, was short hand for removing workers rights negotiated by unions. The race to the bottom just picked up speed, it seems.
@softstarter – working people are those who work. That’s why employment laws matter.
@monty – the survey from the PSA was of women, but it’s almost certain that men are working unpaid overtime as well.
@Ianmac – impressive poem!
No wonder ever hard working kiwi is jumping the ditch… this country getting worse and worse. Key trying to ruin it and labour is to busy doing… I dunno… what are you guys doing?
Ian & Draco
Its a common fallacy that “if I work longer hours to get my work done my job will be safe”. Unfortunately, poor management see that the work is getting done and no one is claiming extra time and there are no extra costs. It follows from that perhaps there are too many employees, etc, etc. vicious circle. Draco is quite right, stop the unpaid work.
Rather than an as yet unknown method whereby we can catch and match Australia’s collective and individual wealth, perhaps we can get JK to go over there and screw them around until they are down to our level.
Isn’t it funny how Monty is struggling to come back with a viable arguments to support his statements – probably because they don’t exist.
@Anasazi, sorry missed your comment earlier; the problem is that it is ordinary, disadvantaged people that would then suffer even more, the net result would be worse for everyone, especially the tax payer. I agree the free labour should stop, but the issue is that it is becoming custom and practice.
Thanks all for comments. More to come on this I think.
Do we need Unions?
“it also means that workers can go to their managers with safety concerns or ideas to improve efficiency and know that they’ll not only get a hearing, they’ll be protected from possible reprisals. Second, unions are a powerful, sophisticated player concerned with more than just the next quarter’s profit reports—what economist John Kenneth Galbraith called a “countervailing power” in an economy dominated by large corporations. They participate in shareholder meetings, where they’re focused on things like job quality and resisting outsourcing. They push back on business models that they don’t consider sustainable for their workers or, increasingly, for the environment. In an economy with a tendency toward bigness—where big producers are negotiating with big retailers and big distributors—workers need a big advocate of their own. Finally, unions bring some semblance of balance to the political system. A lot of what happens in politics is, unfortunately, the result of moneyed, organized interests who lobby strategically and patiently to get their way. Most of that money is coming from various business interests. One of the few lobbies pushing for the other side is organized labor—and it plays a strikingly broad role. ”
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/do-we-still-need-unions-yes.html