6. Employment Relations Amendment Bill—Consideration of ChangesHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyEmployment Relations Amendment Bill—Consideration of Changes6. Hon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Is he confident that the Employment Relations Amendment Bill that has been through Cabinet and the select committee process has the support of all Government parties as it is currently written?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Yes.Hon Scott Simpson: Will the Labour-led Government consider changes to its Employment Relations Amendment Bill that allow more businesses to use the 90-day trial period when taking on new staff?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The member has been here long enough to know how the parliamentary process works. If the Government sees an opportunity to improve the bill at the committee of the whole House it will take it.Hon Scott Simpson: Will the Labour-led Government consider changes to its Employment Relations Amendment Bill that would allow businesses to opt out of collective agreements and multi-employer collective agreements?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The member has been in this House for long enough to know the parliamentary process. If the Government sees an opportunity to improve the bill at the committee of the whole House it will take it.Hon Scott Simpson: Will the Labour-led Government consider changes to its Employment Relations Amendment Bill that prevent union representatives from accessing the workplace of a business without the permission of the business?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: No such change is required. Under the current law and under the changes proposed by the bill there are strict requirements on access such as a union official has to make the employer aware that they are on site they have to adhere to any reasonable health and safety conditions and they must not in any way disrupt the reasonable activities of the business. Hon Scott Simpson: Will the Labour-led Government consider changes to its Employment Relations Amendment Bill that prevent union delegates from being able to try and recruit new members to the union whilst on paid time of the employer?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The member has been in this House for long enough to know the parliamentary process. If the Government sees an opportunity to improve the bill at the committee of the whole House it will take it.Hon Scott Simpson: Why can the Minister not give a definitive answer about the Labour-led Government's position on industrial relations changes when they are the main reason behind plummeting business confidence and the bill went through the Cabinet process almost a year ago and has been through a select committee that has a majority of Government MPs?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: Well this bill is one that all parties of the Government support because it is a bill that restores balance to the industrial relations framework of New Zealand. It restores rights that were stripped away from workers by the previous Government and it will ensure that a good day's work means a decent day's pay. That is why this Government supports it and if there is an opportunity to make the bill even better during the process that it goes through in this Parliament we will take it.Marja Lubeck: What is the intent of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill?Hon IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY: The intent of this bill is to restore balance to the employment relations framework and make things better for working New Zealanders.