Media Release: Make National's "Fire at Will" law a dead letter!

This Wednesday February 4th at 7pm trade union and socialist activists
will be holding a public meeting in Christchurch to discuss plans for
actively resisting National's new "Fire at Will" law, which comes into
effect on 1 March.

The meeting, which is being jointly organised by the Workers Party and
the Alliance, will be held at the Workers' Educational Association
building (59 Gloucester St) opposite the Christchurch Public Art
Gallery.

"Most of the workers targeted by this law (which applies to all
businesses with fewer than 20 employees) are already made to feel that
they have no rights as they lack the numerical strength and union
backing to take personal grievance claims and to negotiate on an equal
footing with the boss," said meeting co-organiser and union delegate
Tim Bowron.

"This new law makes things worse for these workers by taking away
their rights not to be arbitrarily or unfairly dismissed and to due
process."

"While currently these rights exist for the most part only on paper in
the case of workers in small non-unionised workplaces, National's new
amendment to the Employment Relations Act will only serve to further
embolden the owners of these businesses to attack wages and
conditions," Mr. Bowron added.

"In the coming weeks and months we will be looking to target all
businesses who attempt to lay off workers under the provisions of this
new law with flying pickets as well as by any other means at our
disposal," he warned.

ENDS

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