Auchinvole Chris: Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 15 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10013. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National): What interesting debates we have heard this evening on the Employment Relations (Statutory Minimum Redundancy Entitlements) Amendment Bill some of them perhaps with the tongue slightly in the cheek. But there is truth and heartfelt concern in all that has been said on this side of the House because—Iain Lees-Galloway: What a load of cobblers.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Here we go—here we go. It does not take the Labour members long to revert to type does it? They climb into bed with the Greens there is a touch of consideration over policy they get it wrong and then they go back to what they do best. They go back to what is safe for them: kicking employers and interfering with employment relations. Labour cannot resist it.We saw this legislation—Andrew Little will remember; he has got a good sense of history—in the last three periods of Labour Governments: under Norman Kirk under David Lange and then under Helen Clark. Some of us are old enough to bear the scars of those dreadful periods of uncertainty insecurity and being told what to do by an overpowering Government. We saw this legislation then and now lest we forget it comes galloping out from the same stable this time as a member’s bill. It is a try-on. It is not real. It is to give the unions a fright. It is to give employees the idea that someone is on their side. Sue Moroney does it in the firm knowledge that it will not be passed so she can do it comfortably and the union sycophants—the four of them over there sitting tensely tensely—Maggie Barry: In a bloc.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: In a bloc yes—worry.Honestly this is just the same as when Bill English has to explain to Labour about its capital gains tax. This legislation will be applied only to businesses and will therefore discourage the productive sector from activity. It will have the effect of reducing job opportunities and destroying normal labour relations between employers and employees by removing any sense of independence or security from both parties. It is a classic case of Labour saying that it knows best and that this is what you must do.National believes that employment law must expand job opportunities and provide an appropriate combination of flexibility and fairness both for employees and for employers. Both groups agree that it should be so so why are we doing this? Why arewe imposing this on people? This bill does not provide flexibility. It is as rigid as a waratah fencing standard. Fairness does not come into the calculation.Let us see what it does. Let us do a little bit of analysis. All employees who work for more than 12 months are entitled to redundancy compensation. Every employee to whom the part—new Part 6E—applies is entitled to receive a notice of dismissal of no less than 4 weeks and compensation for redundancy of 2 weeks’ remuneration for each subsequent full or partial year of continuous employment up to a maximum entitlement of 26 weeks’ remuneration. The Minister of Labour must run the public education campaign on the minimum entitlements and report back to the House on the campaign.What is all that about? What will this do and what would the effect of this sort of proposal be should it ever become law? If it ever were to become law what effect would it have on the unions? What about the collectives? What about the union negotiators who know the people know the employers and know what they can do? No cut them right out of the deal. Let us picture just a few scenarios because over there we have got the experience of the unions. Over here we have got people who have been both employees and employers. Over there—Sue Moroney: And here.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE: Well I do not know. I do not know what Sue Moroney did before she came into Parliament. But I would say that the first thing that would happen is that this will be a big disincentive to hire more staff. Just think of it down on the West Coast which is already knocked about. Employers are just getting some breaks. Tourism numbers are lifting. Employers are asking: “Shall we take on a new person in these somewhat shaky times or shall we make do take on temporary staff maybe on contract so that if things do go wrong at least we will not be wiped out completely?”.We have heard the sorts of figures that could be involved in terms of cost to business. This bill would create a disincentive for employers to retain and to promote staff. The levels that this legislation determines would make redundancy unaffordable for most businesses. For most businesses redundancy is a last resort. Employers actually do like their staff. Why does Labour always paint employers as Dickensian evil characters?Finally this bill is unnecessary. If it is so good how come Labour did not see fit to bring it in during its—