Fenton Darien: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Fenton Darien: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:665;Page:12800] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 I think that the Minister in the chair the Minister of Labour has a bit of a problem. When we had the estimates hearing at the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee she came along all soothing words and platitudes. There were lots of patsy questions from the National members about how everything was going wonderfully. We had to note that the Minister had not managed to succeed in any bids to increase anything in her portfolio; in fact there was a major cut to the area of employment relations for education leave and I think that that will grow in significance as time goes on. 
Since then we have found out that the Minister had a very very sneaky plan. She was saving up for her leader the Prime Minister to announce changes at the National Party conference in front of all the National Party faithful those big funders because in the end that is what it is about. It is about delivering to those party funders the people who have been telling National that it is not doing enough in the area of industrial relations and that they want to see the Government make it harder for workers because things have gone a little bit too far. 
The problem the Minister has is that attacking the rights of wage and salary earners in New Zealand is not an economic plan. We have seen that today. There is no plan to stop the assault on the cost of living for hard-working New Zealanders there is no plan to stop the growth of the deficit and the huge debt that is mounting up for future generations and there is no plan to catch up with Australia. You know the promise that was made by this Government prior to the last election about catching up with Australia was National’s mantra and as for the other promise about keeping our children home and stopping them from crossing the Tasman what are we seeing? They are leaving in droves. Well I wonder why. 
John Key’s speech to the National Party conference was supposed to be about growing the economy. That was his big moment. But his only new ideas are actually old ideas. They are old ideas of undermining the ability of Kiwi wage and salary earners to earn a decent living in this country. The absence of any new ideas to grow the economy wages and living standards means that as we have seen today we are drifting further and further behind Australia and other countries. 
I have to say to the Minister that removing workers’ rights and allowing them to be sacked within their first 3 months of employment—unfair dismissal in New Zealand—is not a plan for growth in jobs. It simply undermines further the employment security for Kiwis when unemployment is already high and growing. Let us be honest about what has been happening in the last 18 months. Wage and salary earners have done it hard. 
Hon Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Less than Australia’s—90 days compared to 6 months. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: Surely even Mr Mapp would agree that wage and salary earners have done it hard in the last 18 months. They have lost their jobs they have been made redundant they have had their hours cut they have had wage freezes and they and their families have borne the brunt of the economic downturn and the recession. But the Government— 
Simon Bridges 
: That’s why we’re making changes. 
DARIEN FENTON 
: No that Government does not think that is enough. It thinks that these workers these families need to be punished a little bit more. Their accident compensation has been cut their regos have gone up and their accident compensation levies have gone up. The Minister is planning to scale back meal and rest breaks she has done away with pay equity—and may I say the contribution from the Minister of Women’s Affairs earlier was just embarrassing—and the Government has cut employment education leave and health and safety entitlements. But the Government is punishing wage and salary earners a little bit more. This Government thinks Kiwi workers need to be punished because they are lazy and untrustworthy. 
I say to the Minister that one of the questions that came at the select committee was a patsy question from one of her National colleagues. It was about engagement and social partnership with regard to how often she had met with the Council of Trade Unions and so on. Well we have all heard in the last few days that the Council of Trade Unions is not all that happy with the Minister of Labour and the Prime Minister but it is interesting that the Government was really happy to engage with the Council of Trade Unions when it needed the council’s help. At the Job Summit it was all cosy. When the Government needed the talents and ideas of working people to help it get through the recession it was quite happy to pretend that it was friends with the Council of Trade Unions. But of course we have seen a broken promise to the Council of Trade Unions. The Government has acted in extremely bad faith yet I have heard the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labour talking a lot about good faith in the last few days. They do not know what that means and they have made it harder for ordinary Kiwis to earn a decent living.