National’s back-down that led to “zero hours” contracts being outlawed today is a massive victory for working people, families, and unions who have fought against unfair employment practices, the Green Party said.
“This is a huge win for the tens of thousands of people across New Zealand who’ve had no guaranteed hours of work and had to sit at home hoping for a shift that never came,” Green Party workplace relations spokesperson Denise Roche said.
“When National first introduced the Employment Standards Legislation Bill it tried to entrench zero hours contracts and make them a normal part of employment law, but enormous pressure from across New Zealand has turned National around.
“The Green Party has been at the forefront of the fight against zero hours contracts from the early days, with a members’ bill that would have outlawed them a year ago.
“It’s good that key provisions from my original bill around compensation and fair notice of cancelled shifts have now been adopted by the Government.
“I’m pleased that National listened to the concerns I raised about workers who earn salaries rather than hourly wages, and changed their initial proposals that could have seen a loophole created to exploit workers on salaries.
“I hope that everyone who has campaigned against zero hours contracts over the last few years is celebrating today, especially the people at Unite Union who started the campaign,” Ms Roche said.
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