Pillay Lynne: Employment Relations (Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Pillay Lynne: Employment Relations (Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:675;Page:21111] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour) 
: 
 I am standing along with my colleagues. I have to put on the record that I agree with everything that has been said today about this bill the Employment Relations (Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill. It is a waste of this House’s time. One could ask why. The only good point about this bill is that whilst this bill which does absolutely nothing is going through the Government’s agenda of dealing to workers and putting through legislation that takes rights away from workers is not happening. Usually it is customary that that happens under urgency so that people do not have much opportunity to have a say on it. 
Much has been said about the title of this bill. I think along with my colleague Darien Fenton that it could be called the “Raymond Henare (I Have a Chip on My Shoulder) Bill”. It seems to me that the Government one way or the other has a very very low opinion— 
Hon Tau Henare 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. My birth name is Raymond Tau Henare. I am known in this House and outside it as Tau Henare. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I am a little bewildered by that point of order. Was that a point of order a point of information or a point of clarification? 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: We would have to seek the member’s view for that. I understood it was a point of clarification that was done through a point of order. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: I ask respectfully that you Mr Chairperson invite the member to elucidate whether it was a point of order a point of clarification or a point of information. I would like to know. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Well it is up to the member whether he wishes to clarify. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: It was in response to the member speaking. She tried to belittle me by using what she thinks is just a funny part of my name but it does not. She should refer to me as Tau Henare which is my name in this House and outside it. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: I in no way intended to belittle the member at all. I referred to the member as Raymond because his union experience goes back to when he was an organiser with the clerical union and at that stage I believe he was known as Raymond. That was why I thought it was appropriate to refer to the bill as the “Raymond Bill”. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Thank you. I say to members that courtesy is contagious. We will all prosper if we stay within the spirit of the Standing Orders. Regarding names members must refer to members by their title or their name in this case as it is recorded in the  
Hansard 
. 
Michael Woodhouse 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I get to my feet to mention the use of the term for the member who introduced the bill as someone having a chip on his shoulder. It seems to me that this suggests or implies that the member is somehow getting revenge back on the union movement and therefore it is an imputation of an improper motive. That appears to be in breach of Standing Order 116. 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I thank the member. I know what he is referring to. He is referring to personal reflections which is Standing Order 116. I say to the member that in a Speaker’s ruling it is up to the member himself to take offence—[ 
Interruption 
] I am on my feet. Members make disparaging remarks about each other all the time. It is when it is a personal reflection that it is out of order which is Standing Order 116. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: I do accept members on the other side jumping to the member’s defence because it would be fair to say that Tau Henare is the only member of National who has had any experience of workers and unions be it rather not the most pleasant experience for workers and unions in New Zealand. He is the only member on that side of the Chamber—and I will stand corrected if there is anyone else—who has any real experience of unions or of working with workers— 
Chester Borrows 
: Rubbish. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Oh rubbish rubbish. Apart from rubbishing as those members do— 
Sandra Goudie 
: Rubbish. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Rubbish Rubbish—that got a bit of passion! Never mind the views of Sandra Goudie on unions. Those members see that Tau Henare is somehow the authority on what happens in that mystical world of unionism. This is a Government that vilifies workers vilifies unions and it actually vilifies people who do not work. It vilifies people who are not able to work when there are plenty of people in New Zealand who through no fault of their own cannot work under this Government. 
Kris Faafoi 
: Bullies. 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: My mate at the back says “Bullies” and I am inclined to agree with him. Those members are bullies and they are very ignorant of the rights of workers in New Zealand—those who are left—because the Government is steadily decimating workers’ rights. I know that other colleagues have spoken about it. 
This member is so obsessed with a secret ballot as other colleagues have said. I myself as a union official have never ever ran a strike vote without a secret ballot and I have to say that strike votes are very seldom occurrences. It is really serious to ask workers to withdraw their labour. It is a very serious thing to do because they will not have any income and a strike has a detrimental effect on the business they work for. So it is a very rare occurrence. A strike ballot is done by a secret ballot. That is common practice. But that member is out of touch. I ask this Committee and I ask members on the other side to take a call as to whether—[ 
Interruption 
] I cannot hear Sandra Goudie’s words of wisdom; I hope she stands and takes a call rather than shouting from the peanut gallery. This is based on fear. This member’s obsession with secret ballots is probably because he had to run them. Having him as a union official would be a dreadful dreadful situation for a worker in New Zealand. 
Hon Member 
: Ha ha! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: It would. I would say that workers in New Zealand would insist if that member was the organiser on having a secret ballot because if they did not do what he wanted he would be looking in that mean way he has. All of us have seen it. We have been trembling in our boots on this side of the Chamber with his stony glares at us and his threatening manner. We all know about that. I know he is looking like butter would not melt at the moment but we know the fearful side of Tau Henare. That is why it is really important that workers under his watch—