Horomia Parekura: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Horomia Parekura: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
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Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 We can be thankful that Minister Tolley has gone public in suggesting that teachers will be not involved in this legislation. It certainly shows like the Maori Party’s move to vote against this legislation that people are making a strong effort to do the right thing. I suggest to the Minister that her starting to adjust this heavy-handed legislation is one of the most outstanding things that she will do in her career. 
What is certainly interesting is the issue of doubt in that it is one-sided and that side is the employer’s. The two provisions are section 67A(2)(b) and (c) in clause 7. Paragraph (b) states: “during that period the employer may dismiss the employee;”’. I am not too sure about the talk about adjusting by amendment or by one of our amendments in relation to this issue. 
The removal of personal grievance rights and any legal proceedings within the 90 day trial period is quite staggering—quite staggering. Thousands of young New Zealanders this week—today and tomorrow I think—are on the cusp of getting on the highway of employment. It is fascinating that Minister Tolley has focused on teachers. I have heard our very learned past Minister of Education Chris Carter suggest that he does not think that what she said is true. I think somebody should put a lot of effort right now into talking to a whole lot of the students who are about to go into employment. Somebody needs immediately to spend a lot of time telling them that if they are about to be employed by an employer with 20 or fewer employees they had better understand that for the first 3 months they cannot be sure and neither can their employer be sure that they have job security for the future. It is a new addition to the career choices of a lot of our students. That is the nonsensicalness of this adjustment. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that it is an attack on the collective and certainly tries to disengage people from their right to union support and to the support of anybody else. 
We have heard continually today that organisations including Business New Zealand do not think this bill is a good idea. What I have struggled with in listening to the discussions tonight is the idea that it is to the benefit of employees in that it will mean that more employees are taken on. In the sense of the current recessionary tensions how can that be so? I look across at Mr Lindsay Tisch and think about when he and I dared to work together on things like Be Your Own Boss—“Be Your Own Future” be whatever. Lindsay would charge around in his car advising people in communities how not to get put out of work. We created things like Company Rebuilders for businesses that had started to collapse. That was a lesser situation compared with the recessionary impact of global activity at this period of time. 
New section 67A(2)(c) states: “if the employer does so the employee is not entitled to bring personal grievance or other legal proceedings in respect of the dismissal.” That is incredible given this country’s history. That is just outrageous. Simon Power would not agree with it. It is more than stripping away people’s rights; it is an addendum and an addition to all those things that National including Simon Power voted against. What did National vote against? There has been a lot of waffle about mana enhancement. 
John Hayes 
: There is a lot of waffle right now! 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: I tell Mr Hayes that there has been a lot of waffle in relation to the enhancement of employers.