26 October 2015

Labour for hire not a recipe for exploitation

Labour is supporting a call for an investigation into alleged dodgy employment practices within labour hire companies.

“FIRST Union says it has numerous reports of people employed by hire companies not receiving their minimum legal entitlements,” Labour Relations spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says.

“While breaches can be challenged through costly court processes, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse should at least sit down with the union to discuss its concerns about widespread abuses in the labour hire industry.

“The Government could do a lot more to prevent the exploitation of working people by employers who do not meet their legal obligations. New Zealand has far too few labour inspectors, with each inspector having to oversee double the number of workers their Australian counterparts have to.

“The Government’s repeated attacks on unions mean that fewer and fewer people have someone to turn to when their rights at work are breached by their employer.

“Labour Day provides the perfect opportunity to focus on the increasing insecurity of work and the difficulty people have securing what ought to be their basic rights.

“The Government has allowed a situation to develop where more and more people are reliant on the temporary work offered by labour hire companies. The Minster must make sure this is not just a recipe for greater exploitation,” Iain Lee-Galloway says.

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