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John Key announced proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act at the National Party conference (NZPA)

John Key announced proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act at the National Party conference (NZPA)

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Sun, 18 Jul 2010 6:00p.m.

By Duncan Garner

Prime Minister John Key has confirmed National will introduce tough new workplace laws, and unions are seeing that as a declaration of war.

All New Zealand firms, not just small ones, will soon be able to fire an employee after a 90 day trial if they are not up to the job.

But hundreds of angry unionists marched outside the National Party conference.

Hordes of unionists tried desperately to bust through the police line to get to the Prime Minister; former Green MP Sue Bradford was in the thick of it.

Their message: Key's workplace changes are a declaration of war.

But John Key was inside getting a hero's welcome; the delegates are his grassroots party workers and they adore him.

He told his delegates, many of whom are employers, all Kiwi businesses large and small will now be able to sack an employee after a 90-day trial period if they don't stack up.

“This is policy of opportunity. It is about giving people the chance to find a job and nothing is more important that that," he says.

A Labour Department survey released yesterday shows businesses overwhelmingly like the 90 day trial period and two in five employers wouldn't have hired someone without it.

Unions had promised to name and shame small employers who had abused the law over the past year – Mr Key says they have failed to deliver.

Mr Key also says it might give immigrants a chance for a better job – like the Indian pizza delivery guy who came to his house last night with his children's dinner.

“Guys like him told me they just want a better opportunity and this will hopefully do it," he says.

There are other changes: unions will find it more difficult to enter the workplace, but they won't be banned and workers will also be able to cash in their fourth week's annual leave for cash, when the laws come into effect, probably next year.

Mr Key says cashing in the extra week will be at the employees’ request – and employers can't force it – that will be against the new law.

“It just won't happen – it can't happen, it's up to the employee is they want the extra money,” Mr Key says.

The noise and the protests might continue for National and John Key; tomorrow the cabinet is set to sign on National's controversial mining plans to mine more of the conservation estate.

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Comments [11]

mar
17 Jun 2011 9:59a.m.

look after new zealanders 1st, we were born here, grew up here and then the indian pizza boy migrated across and took our job opportunities, i dont think so buddy

Peter
10 Aug 2010 8:06a.m.

I think this forum is only rallying the right wing sentiments in support of the government. Too bad I thought TV3 was neutral and professional but here we go, just another political wing of the right wing media..

Pitball
19 Jul 2010 6:47a.m.

Our kids can't even get jobs as pizza delivery boys as the are denied drivers licenses.

Jan..
19 Jul 2010 1:37a.m.

Mr.Key,why do you have to repeat a 40 year already planned ahead of themselves, its nothing new like johnmillian have had mentioned, you are a broken record with guns to kill, producing guns is no Law matey! rethink and get real..
You people have destroyed our country, put it right and if not step down and don't blow any of our mines up..

RobertM
18 Jul 2010 11:22p.m.

Bradford, daughter of a middle class professional family with a fake working class accent. My mother said a job was a privilege not a right. The likes of Bradford demand a job for life for the most empty , ugly and unproductive people. After I had a mental breakdown I lived in Wigram lodge which largely housed low grade prole workers. At night I'd often ride into the city bars on route one the ultimate Hornby-Ne w Brighton bus route. It went through springs road and the industrial Blenheim road area. Most of the factory workers who got off and on in Blenheim road impressed me as far dumber and far more useless than most of the people that ended up in Hillmorton or Princess Margaret. So did most of the low grade workers in the lodge the sort of place mental patients are forced into.
Yet Bradford defends fanatically every political right of low grade blank slate workers why taking political action to deny every sexual, political and employment right to mental patients or paranoid schizophrenics. Many mental patients are highly intelligent even some of the disabled. Yet Bradford in her 2002 legislation destroyed every right for mental patients. Psychiatry is about forcing sufferers down, every patient recieves lecture after lecture that they have failed they must be humble, conform they must grovel so stupid ugly proles have jobs.
Bradford and Clark and King defend low grade incompentent workers rights while doing everything to allow psychiatrists to force feed patients with high doses of drugs for sedation and control which destroy every right to beauty and a sex life. Look it it is so criminal the hypocristy of Bradford, Clark and Peter Davis ever lie of the police and ordinary workers is believed while nobody believes anybody who has anything to do with psychiatric system.
Bradford defends the right to work. But if you don't believe in work, don't want to, the likes of Tony Benn and Bradford are incensed with class anger. All the left are the same. It just sickens me when the likes of Anettee King are at the gates of every freezing works when the idiot thuggish workers but they will do nothing to help graduates and the beautiful or those who have been in psychatric hospitals get jobsof professional standing, almost always people of greater merit.
The left are at there most criminal when like sociologist Peter Davis they support Pharamac. Phamac regards new psyciatric drugs as he lowest priority so virtually nonehave been financed over the last 12 years and dangerous drugs like Lithium have to be used.
So its really incredible while the likes of Bradford refuse to allow employers, employees and everyone who has been shut out while defending regional proles who are nothing and who would always act to destroy every truth, justice and beauty. Bradfords act of 2002 which effectively destroyed the psychatric reforms was the most viciously reactionary act in NZ history making all assesments of what constituted disability or mental illness or icapacity purely subjective.

JJ
18 Jul 2010 10:11p.m.

Pretty sure Key said the new law will allow employers to request a docs cert. after 1 day not 3 which is good to help reduce absenteeism with ‘weekdayitis’. Medium – large business’s have an HR department that deals with new staff who are poor performers anyway, this drawn out process currently takes 90 days. Sounds like the assumption of ‘employers will remain fair and reasonable because the cost of retraining a staff in a 3 month period and the cost of rehiring will probably outweigh the cost of retaining them’. My concern is that employers can use this as a window to test if there is profit in creating a new position – that’s just not fair on a person looking for long term work. It’s all aimed at helping nz business’s become more profitable. This should be good to increase our gdp, our output of goods and services is very low! There’s cons and pro’s to all decisions but guess we wont know what’s stronger until it’s been implemented, lets give it a go. As for increasing minimum wage to $15, why’s that, is that because people wont reap tax cut benefits unless they earn $15? Equality is good, what benefits one income level should benefit all!

JJ
18 Jul 2010 10:11p.m.

Pretty sure Key said the new law will allow employers to request a docs cert. after 1 day not 3 which is good to help reduce absenteeism with ‘weekdayitis’. Medium – large business’s have an HR department that deals with new staff who are poor performers anyway, this drawn out process currently takes 90 days. Sounds like the assumption of ‘employers will remain fair and reasonable because the cost of retraining a staff in a 3 month period and the cost of rehiring will probably outweigh the cost of retaining them’. My concern is that employers can use this as a window to test if there is profit in creating a new position – that’s just not fair on a person looking for long term work. It’s all aimed at helping nz business’s become more profitable. This should be good to increase our gdp, our output of goods and services is very low! There’s cons and pro’s to all decisions but guess we wont know what’s stronger until it’s been implemented, lets give it a go. As for increasing minimum wage to $15, why’s that, is that because people wont reap tax cut benefits unless they earn $15? Equality is good, what benefits one income level should benefit all!

cyril
18 Jul 2010 10:06p.m.

The 90 day thing is a great idea, why should it cost you a fortune to get rid of someone who isnt suitable. An employee can walk away any time without consequence, an employer has to have an excuse and compensate the employee. As for naming and shaming employers who abuse the system, well good idea as they deserve it.

Alex
18 Jul 2010 9:06p.m.

This is one reason why I don't vote for them. It's always about the business and money - screw the employee.

johnmillan
18 Jul 2010 7:54p.m.

Gee Key is so thick that he say!s that after 3 days sick leave you must produce a note from your doctor.This has been around for over 40 years,it is nothing new,he should have another bottle of his blind wine.

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