The Employer Relations Amendment Bill will make work even less secure for Kiwis.

“At a time when New Zealanders are doing it tough, the Government wants to cut worker protections and make it easier to fire people,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

“Christopher Luxon should be focused on creating well-paying jobs and strengthen worker protections. Instead, he’s cut women’s future pay and thinks what New Zealanders need is fewer sick days and less job security.

“Yesterday, Christopher Luxon signalled he is open to halving sick leave days from 10 to five. Opening the door to cuts to sick leave is wrong and Labour will fight it.

“Now, they’ve introduced a Bill that would effectively bypass union-negotiated protections for workers.

“Their Bill repeals rules that provide benefits to new employees in collective bargaining agreements in their first 30 days. They are stripping away protections for new workers who aren’t yet union members.

“It also makes it harder for workers who have been dismissed to seek remedies or reinstatement. Put another way, it’s about to get a lot easier for an employer to fire you.

“Labour will stand up for fairness at work and protect workers’ rights,” Jan Tinetti said.