Mapp Wayne: Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Mapp Wayne: Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) 
: 
 I move  
That the Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. 
 This bill is critical to the growth and productivity of New Zealand and surely that goal is shared by everyone in this Parliament. The real question that parties in this Parliament have to answer tonight is whether they are willing to do the things to make that happen as opposed to simply talking about it. 
Hon Member 
: We will! 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: Very good. The bill is quite straightforward. It provides for an automatic probation period of 90 days for new employees. During that period the expensive cumbersome and litigious personal grievance procedures in the Employment Relations Act will not apply automatically. I will be moving later this evening—hopefully—that this bill should be considered by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. 
At this point I say to Labour and Green members in particular that fundamental conditions of employment will be protected. So that there is absolutely no doubt about it the bill has a specific savings provision to protect access to the Human Rights Commission. Clearly we cannot have a situation where sexual harassment could be permitted. Wage claims will also be protected as will fundamental statutory conditions around holiday entitlements sick leave and so forth. They are in fact covered by a different statute in any event. 
So it is simply absurd to suggest as some have said in press releases today that National wants employment at will across the board. This bill is absolutely middle of the road. It brings New Zealand into line with not most of the OECD but all of the OECD. We are the outlier at the moment as a nation. For instance in the United Kingdom under the Blair Government which has now been in office for nearly 10 years— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: A Labour Government. 
Dr WAYNE MAPP 
:—and which is a Labour Government as everyone knows the probation period is 12 months. In Australia it is currently 3 months and is likely to be extended somewhat further. In Canada the period is 3 months; in Ireland—a country many of us admire—it is 12 months. Who could possibly suggest that any of those countries are hard on employee rights? Those countries have better living standards than New Zealand. The countries of Europe—and indeed Scandinavia which is often admired by our current Government—also have probation periods. 
What we are doing here is getting our employment law right to boost productivity so that we are competitive and can make the critical gains necessary. Even Treasury in its briefing to Government this year talked about the inflexibility of the current employment law. Business New Zealand which has been very careful to consult the Government on a whole range of things—and the Minister of Labour knows this well—has said it is the most important thing in employment law. 
Some people will say this legislation is really just another device to oppress workers. The answer is no and the facts speak for themselves. New Zealand’s youth unemployment rate is 12 percent and Maori youth unemployment is as high as 14 percent whereas general unemployment at 3 percent is substantially less. So young people are the group we are aiming at primarily. They need to get that first job. 
New Zealand is a country of small employers and many of them are concerned about costs. So they need to have the confidence and young people need to be able to say to employers: “Give me a chance to demonstrate my ability.” That is what this bill is about—boosting employment opportunities for the advantage of New Zealanders. 
It has been a pleasure to introduce the bill and I look forward to hearing the considered arguments of all the parties.