ACT To Advise Employers How To Avoid The Employment Relations Bill

Excerpt From Richard Prebble Speech To Hamilton CBD Association
(First ‘How To Beat The Employment Relations Bill Seminar’)

ACT MPs will be organising seminars around New Zealand advising small employers how to avoid the provisions of the union promoting, Employment Relations Bill, said ACT Leader, Hon Richard Prebble.

The Employment Relations Bill was passed in Parliament today and will come into affect on October 2 2000.

“The Bill, which has been written by the left wing academics, is very badly drafted.

“ACT believes the provision that attempts to force companies to give unions confidential information can be circumvented, while the provision that allows unions to terminate existing collectives can also be avoided by some employers. And as ACT pointed out in Parliament, the exception of dwelling places means that having a person living on site may mean that the employer can refuse access to trade union officials.

“The Bill will see an explosion in bogus personal grievance cases and in damaging strikes.

“The Employment Relations Bill will put at risk the life savings of the thousands of New Zealanders who have invested in their own companies. Employers are absolutely justified in taking full advantage of the poor drafting of this new law.

“The fight that ACT and National put up over the Bill was the highest quality that I can recall in my 21 years in Parliament. The opposition out debated the coalition, won the procedural disputes and as the record shows, the points of order.

“National Leader, Hon Jenny Shipley could not have received a better platform for a successful party conference.

“ACT and National put up some 698 amendments which would have improved the Bill. I do not believe the coalition listened to any of the issues that were raised by the opposition, nor those of the business or legal professions.

“ACT played a leading role that involved our whole caucus, and proved that the new standing orders can be used to put a government under real scrutiny.

ACT also showed up the unnaturally poor opposition of Labour due to their whips abysmal ignorance of procedural devices , said Hon Richard Prebble.

ENDS

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