90-day work trials: Why Government’s move is chilling - Green MP Teanau Tuiono

Striking teachers gathered outside Parliament last year. Green MP co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick (left), MPs Teanau Tuiono (centre) and Ricardo Menendez March (right) were there to hear the teachers' concerns.

OPINION

In the face of a Government that is in my view hellbent on undermining the rights of working people, it is high time we got organised.

Everyone should have the right to safe, decent and meaningful work. Our jobs should pay enough to live on and allow for time with whānau. However, right now, Aotearoa is not working for all working people. Thousands of people are forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and successive governments have given big business too much control over our lives.

Just days after axing fair pay agreements, the current Government doubled down by making it possible for bosses to fire new staff without reason by reviving the archaic policy that is 90-day trials. Employers may employ a new employee on a trial period of up to the first 90 calendar days of their employment. The employer doesn’t have to give reasons for a dismissal during a trial period.

Evidence released under the last National Government showed 90-day trials had no impact on the number of people hired for jobs. The only thing 90-day trials achieve is in my view to make it cheaper and easier for employers to fire people - and that is what this is all about. The relish and speed with which this Government has unwound people’s working rights is chilling.

Goodness knows what is next on the horizon with this lot, a Coalition Government that is reducing the use of Māori words in agency names and documents, and that has repealed smokefree laws.

Whatever’s next, it probably won’t be in Māori but it’ll probably stink of cigarettes.

If you are a worker and not a member of a union. My message is simple. Join one.

By organising, advocating, and standing together, workers can push back against unjust policies and fight for a fairer, more equitable future. It is essential for workers to unite and organise. Collective action has a long history of bringing about positive change, and now more than ever, it is essential for workers to stand together to protect their rights.

By joining forces with unions and advocacy groups, workers can amplify their voices and push back against unfair policies. By sharing their stories and highlighting the impact of government policies, workers can build solidarity and garner support for their cause.

Workers’ rights are human rights. We must ensure that every worker is treated with dignity and respect. Kia kaha.

Teanau Tuiono is a Green list MP based in Manawatū.