Blumsky Mark: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Blumsky Mark: Employment Relations Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:633;Page:5094] 
MARK BLUMSKY (National) 
: 
 I am speaking to clause 3 “Purpose” of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. The purpose of the bill is to substitute a new Part 6A. The title of new Part 6A is “Continuity of employment if employees’ work affected by restructuring”. If people are going to continue employment they have to work somewhere. If they work somewhere in New Zealand then “somewhere” is mostly in small business. I think it is important that in order to understand the purpose of this legislation we hear what real small business has to say about the Government and its attitude to business in New Zealand. I have had a lot of correspondence from small business because of my role in economic development and I have randomly chosen one of the notes I have from a small business. I quote from the communication: “We have operated our small business for the past 14 years employing over 60 staff. The past 4 years have been a nightmare for our business and we believe the reason is partly due to the overall climate and tone that now exists in this country created by a Government intent on pushing employment policies that are not necessary and are politically correct; and that is way over the top and crazy.” That is a direct quote from a small business that cares. The bit I particularly like—and I will share with members—states: “We believe the only way to get New Zealand back on track is to get rid of the current Government.” 
Lindsay Tisch 
: Say that again! 
MARK BLUMSKY 
: I will because it is exceptionally enlightening: “We believe the only way to get New Zealand back on track is to get rid of the current Government.” That person believes employment relations are a nightmare. That person has been in business 14 years and employs over 60 staff and believes doing business in New Zealand under the current climate with the current Government policies is a nightmare. 
So I suppose we have to look at what the real purpose of this bill is. Well it just makes it harder and harder for business in New Zealand and in particular small business. So many small businesses in New Zealand work hard. They want to grow. They do the growing in many cases by winning a contract. They tender and they win a contract. They get excited because it is a successful opportunity for them to grow. But unfortunately this bill just puts those small businesses when they win those contracts into a very real risk position; in fact it will set small business up to fail. When small businesses win contracts they take over all the current liabilities that existed under the previous employer. Those businesses will have no idea about those current liabilities. They will have no idea about what holiday pay is due. They will have no idea about what sick pay has been accumulated. They will have no idea about whether other contract inducements or payments have been put in because they will not know what was done in the last week or two before the business was purchased. I repeat small businesses have no choice at all as to what that is. 
Peter Brown 
: Read the Minister’s amendments. 
MARK BLUMSKY 
: Regarding the Supplementary Order Paper that the gentleman is talking about I say that someone can come along and make a change a week before and there is no protection for the purchaser so the purchaser is buying blind. For a small business that becomes incredibly hard. 
When will this Government stop telling business that it does not like business? As the small business operator said in that correspondence to me it has been a nightmare doing business under the current Government. Signal upon signal that business is not important is being sent. The purpose of this bill is just to continue with another signal that business is not important. Why is that? In their entire working careers before being MPs nearly all the members on the Government side of the Chamber have been fighting the employer. The employer was the enemy. “Employer” was a horrible word—a very evil word. The tragedy for New Zealand is that that exact same state of mind has transferred through in their role as MPs.