One down, many more to go

By AUDREY YOUNG

The omens for a smooth run of the Employment Relations Bill are not good.

Parliament last night began the long, slow committee stages of the 264-clause bill and during voting on the first clause , about it being called the Employment Relations Bill, MP Gerry Brownlee offered this from National: "39 votes opposed ... no, in favour ... oh, no opposed."

But if the junior whip was confused on the vote, he was characteristically quick with a witty recovery from Labour's derisory taunts: "I was voting in good faith."

It may be the last laugh Parliament hears during what is likely to be a draining marathon session this week under the extended hours of urgency.

The law was laid down by the chairman of committees, Deputy Speaker Geoff Braybrooke.

He reminded MPs that it was against the rules to suggest that the Government had been under the direction of anyone else, such as unions, because doing so would lead to disorder.

Act MP Ken Shirley let it be known that he clearly understood Mr Braybrooke's instruction.

"We know we can't say the bosses of Trades Hall led the minister by the nose," he said. "That would be out of order."

The only speaker the Government put up in the early clauses was the clinically expert Labour Minister, former law professor Margaret Wilson.

And as Mr Brownlee observed, her style was rather like "a quiet ramble through an academic's approach to legislation."

Ms Wilson began attacking the Employment Contracts Act. "It defined the relationship at the workplace solely in terms of the law and thereby treated labour as a commodity and did not give due respect to the rights and dignity of those who have to be employed by their labour at the workplace."

What the Government recognised in the title of the Employment Relations Bill "is that most people spend a great deal of their lives in the workplace and it is through their work that a sense of confidence and self-esteem and self-worth is in fact derived."

Sitting in solidarity with her were some of the Government's own ex-union heavyweights: Mark Gosche (former Service Workers Union secretary); Rick Barker (Service Workers); Graham Kelly (Shop Employees); Laila Harre (Northern Distribution); Willie Jackson (Service Workers); Winnie Laban (Service Workers); and Helen Duncan (NZ Educational Institute).

Grant Gillon, a former firefighter activist, was sitting there staunchly too, although he was once particularly active in trying to keep women out of the Fire Service - not such a hot credential in 2000.

Mr Brownlee, who has belonged to three unions in his life - four including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union - could perhaps have been forgiven for being confused about the vote.

Although it was the first clause, there had been several votes just before on alternative names for the bill.

Mr Braybrooke ruled some of them out as not being serious, including National MP Max Bradford's suggested title of the "Union Pay-back and Labour Relations Bill."

Mr Shirley wanted the legislation renamed the "Restoration of Union Power Bill."

Peter Brown of New Zealand First wanted it called the "Industrial Agreements, Disagreements and Disputes Resolution Bill."

National MP Simon Power suggested the "Lawyers Guaranteed Superannuation Fund 2000 Bill."

Mr Power should know.

He is a lawyer and many of his former colleagues in the legal fraternity reckon they are going to make heaps taking cases to court to get interpretations of the new law.

"This is nothing short of a money spinner for lawyers - and we thought it would just be unions."

The vote was taken, and after a party count, the House voted 66 to 54 to call the bill what the Government originally called it, the Employment Relations Bill.

The vote was: In favour - Labour 49; the Alliance 10; and the Greens 7. Opposed - Act 9; NZ First 5; United 1 and National (no, yes, no) 39.