Dismissal law review must not erode right to natural justice

The Government must ensure its review of fair dismissal laws is based on evidence and is not simply an excuse to strip away rights to natural justice, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

The EPMU is committed to engaging constructively with the review but is concerned it is being driven by an employer lobby agenda to undermine basic protections against unfair dismissal.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says the underlying principle of this review must be that no worker should be deprived of their economic livelihood without good reason and due process.

“The ability to take away someone’s economic livelihood is a huge amount of power, and it’s a basic democratic right that all workers have access to natural justice.

“It is not encouraging that these natural justice rights have already been denied to thousands of workers in small businesses through the 90 day fire at will law and we will oppose any attempt to extend this period or apply it to the majority of Kiwis who work for large employers.

“While the evidence shows the system is fundamentally sound, there are areas where we believe the law could be improved, in particular the regulation of opportunistic ‘no win, no fee’ agents, as well as better information and assistance for SMEs about their legal rights and obligations.

“However, it’s crucial that this review is based on evidence and that when the minister hears employer complaints about our dismissal laws she is able to distinguish between the usual whinging and moaning on the one hand, and the genuine problems on the other.

“If the Government simply uses this as an opportunity to pander to bad employers and strip away basic work rights then it’s hard to see how they can expect workers to willingly embrace a productivity agenda.”

The EPMU is New Zealand’s largest private sector union, representing 45,000 members across eleven industries.

ENDS

© Scoop Media