Maori and Pacific workers being used as pawns in National’s labour law reforms
The National Government’s suggestion that the extension of the 90 day “fire at will” laws will benefit Maori and Pacific workers has no evidence base whatsoever.
“It’s a shallow tagline to mask the real story that is Maori, Pacific, young and vulnerable workers will be worst hit by draconian legislation,” Nanaia Mahuta said today.
“The information provided thus far clearly shows that Maori and Pacific have not benefited from this trial period. In fact Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson struggled in Parliament to detail how many Maori workers benefitted under the 90 day fire-at-will law.
“It makes even less sense to extend the law when Maori unemployment has increased and youth unemployment continues to grow.”
It’s a concern that while the Minister of Labour could cite that 14% of those who were trialled for positions under John Key’s “fire at will” laws were Maori, she chose not to elaborate on how many had lost their jobs within the 90 day period.
“Kate Wilkinson also steered away from citing the numbers of Pacific who got jobs through the 90 day ‘fire at will’ laws, let alone those who had lost their jobs with the 90 day period,” Labour List MP Carmel Sepuloni said.
“Given the high levels of unemployment that have persisted for Maori and Pacific, it’s blatantly obvious that the 90 day law to date has not been a success to date.
"There is a strong inference from supporters of the 90 day legislation that Maori and Pacific workers are the very ones that need the trial period.
“Their theory is that employers can ‘de-risk’ themselves and offer a job – but still let workers go if they do not fit the bill.
“Where is the evidence that Maori and Pacific fail to perform in the workplace at a disproportionate rate compared to others?
“Instead of using Maori and Pacific workers as a last minute attempt to justify taking fundamental rights off all workers, the Government should come up with a real plan to get Kiwis back into work.”
