Blue Jackie: Employment Relations (Workers’ Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Blue Jackie: Employment Relations (Workers’ Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:668;Page:15214] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I am pleased to speak to the second reading of the Employment Relations (Workers’ Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill. I support my colleague the Hon Tau Henare and I congratulate him on an excellent bill. 
It is a very simple bill; it is a very straightforward bill. I am not sure why it is so contentious or why people have a problem with it. It provides transparency in a democratic process and I ask who could argue with that. It is not anti-union; rather it improves the process that many unions already have in place. We have heard that some unions do not conduct secret ballots as best practice. The bill is quite simple. It requires that unions have a secret ballot when their members vote to strike. Who could have a problem with that? It is transparency in a democratic process. 
Strikes can be incredibly stressful for both workers and their families particularly in this day and age. Strikes are often held as the last resort when all else fails so they are held in an incredibly tense atmosphere. Strikes are not taken lightly and not every worker will be in the same situation. Individual circumstances have to be taken into account. This bill proposes a protective mechanism so that workers will not feel intimidated about the way they want to vote as far as the voting process goes. That process must be democratic and this bill will ensure that it is democratic. 
We heard from a number of submitters. I will make some comments on the submission of the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern). The association represents business interests throughout the upper half of the North Island. Overall its members would collectively employ over 300000 people. The association had some interesting comments. Its experience was that on many occasions employees came to employers to tell them that they did not wish to go on strike or they cast doubt on the union’s decision to go on strike. They had concerns about what was being proposed. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: Bullied. 
Dr JACKIE BLUE 
: Yes they probably felt intimidated and bullied. The Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) also agreed that some employees were not in a position where they wanted to go on strike because of their personal circumstances financial or otherwise. They might have had difficulty in the economic climate we have been in. The association commented that to go on strike is a very serious action. It is a last resort and has to be done in a very careful way. Although the employees might be financially affected by a strike the union organiser is not directly financially affected. It is OK for the union organiser but not necessarily OK for the employees. 
We have heard that the holding of secret ballots is best practice and is largely happening in this day and age. But we heard that many unions do not conduct a secret ballot. The submission from the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) reported that one union explained to their workers the absence of a secret ballot by saying it wanted to see the whites of their eyes. That is astonishing and absolutely appalling. It should not be happening in the year 2010; it is part of the age of Charles Dickens. It should not be happening. Another employee was advised that the vote to strike was taken by the union asking those who did not want to strike to leave the room and stand outside. That is not acceptable in this day and age; it is not democratic. 
The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee made some very good changes to improve the bill. I will not go over the details but changes were made and they are in the bill as it stands. 
This is a good bill. It will be good for workers. It is democratic and it will codify what is already happening. I commend the bill to the House.