The 90 day trial period clause of the current employment law is all set to be a thing of past with New Zealand First finally giving-in to its collation partners Labour and Green’s wishes to scrap the provision.
The controversial Workplace Relations Amendment Bill is all set to be re-introduced in parliament today for a second reading.
Earlier when the bill was introduced in parliament, coalition partner New Zealand First had held some reservations saying that the bill was a “work in progress.”
Today, that “work in progress,” seems to have finished well, with all coalition partners issuing a press release and describing NZ First’s current stand of being “very happy” with the proposed bill.
The bill will end 90-day trials for bigger employers, restores rights to tea and meal breaks and grants unions more access to workplaces.
The bill had come back from a select committee without any material changes in September, at which point New Zealand First leader Winston Peters described it as a "work in progress.
However, the changes proposed in the bill will be affecting the bigger employers only (those employing more than 20 employees) and not the small and medium-sized businesses, who have raised genuine concerns about these changes taking away their ability to do business without being under undue stress.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Government listened to the public submissions in the select committee process and had taken on some of the key concerns raised.
“Every aspect of our Bill is better than the current employment legislation and delivers rights and protections for workers which were stripped from them by National. Overall there is much to celebrate in this legislation, which I am sure will lead to better and more consistent outcomes in New Zealand workplaces,” Ms Ardern said.
However National had earlier denounced the proposed bill saying that the changes will take New Zealand back to 1970s when the unions had a seemingly free-run at the workplaces.