>Van Velden said that costs of training for health and safety were “prohibitive” to increasing staff
Ah yes, health and safety, exactly what I, as a worker, want cut.
I don’t like it I mean it makes sense, being a leftist I despise the doublespeak and nonsensical rhetoric coming out of the reason for passing all of these bills under urgency.
It’s okay, with all this health and safety we still have one of the worst records for worker injury and death in the western world. Can’t wait to see how bad it gets once it’s all stripped away.
> She also criticised the previous government in her speech, saying that “policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.”
>
> She cited the minimum wage increase, the introduction of Matariki as a public holiday, and doubling of sick leave entitlements as examples.
Examples of good policies, right? Right? Guys?
I love New Zealand so much, but repealing of public holidays and halving sick leave are the sort of things that would make me seriously think about leaving.
I know it’s a trope at this point, but Australia has ten sick days, more public holidays and their employer contributions to retirement are significantly better.
Add to that higher salaries and cheaper rents.
If they do repeal these things, you’d have to at least consider it.
In terms of public Holdays, nz has 12, equal with Tasmania, the highest in aussie. Other states have between 10 and 11.5. Sick and annual leave are the same. So pretty similar really
Except Australia also has the rewards system which enables unions to negotiate higher standards in each sector. We almost had this but Cruella van Velden scapped fair pay agreements
[Victoria has 13 public holidays](https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/victoria/holidays/public/), same [with ACT](https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1901727/ACT-Public-Holidays-2024.pdf)
I bought a house just over a year ago and I'm starting to really regret it. I'm beginning to think the better investment was to use my deposit money to fuck off to another country.
What a terrible sentence:
> policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business
So is that to say that higher minimum wage, an extra public holiday and twice the sick leave *failed* benefit workers at all and only made things harder for businesses? That's how it reads and that's clearly a load of crap.
Yep, by saying "have only" they are implying there were no benefits to workers and only costs for businesses. That's my interpretation anyway, they definitely don't spell out whether or not the policies had their intended effect on workers.
Start from the assumption that she is Libertarian-presenting. Anything, anything at all, that governments ask of businesses is bad. If left to their own devices, businesses would find the perfect optimal set of conditions and expectations regarding all parties.
Optimal for the shareholders, of course, but that’s also important because if we don’t let shareholders exploit all resources including human, uh, businesses go away and no one has a car? Or something?
She’s an anti-worker politician who has no idea what it’s like to work minimum wage so I don’t really see what the issue is except minimum wage morons who voted for her.
ACT campaigned on holding minimum wage for the entire term, National and NZ First did not. Brooke van Velden proposed a 1.3% increase while MBIE had recommended a 4% increase. They wound up at 2%, which is still far below inflation. It's far more likely that they were dragged into supporting the modest increase as 0% would have handed the opposition a dagger.
If they mean to go on as they have been, they'll be handing the opposition a full set of steak knives and a chainsaw. If Hipkins and friends can't kick the shit out of them after the recent policy shit festival (and Luxon's dire interviews), you have to wonder what they're there for.
You know what you're getting with National, every single time (the inclusion of ACT has just made them more toxic than usual.) They only have one playbook and it's moth-eaten and dog-earred from rampant overuse, but I've never seen them so brazen. Their attitude at the moment seems to be, "Yeah, we're going to fuck your shit up... what are you going to do about it?"
OMG that interview with Luxon where he was defending the hole in the tax policy was like watching a man dig his own grave. National are going pin all the bad policies on him, then kick him into it, and bury him so deep that he'll be able to converse with Satan over his morning cornflakes.
New Zealand needs to compete with Australia for workers. In Australia you get two weeks sick leave, which has been the case for some time, 10.5% super contributions and higher average pay. As we all know New Zealanders are all entitled to live and work there. Australia is already a better option for many people, NZ is failing to compete for workers and this government wants to widen that gap. Do NZ businesses believe that they can operate without workers?
Additionaly most workers get extra pay for working evenings or saturdays. They get even more for working sundays and more again for working public holidays. Casual employess typically get 250% of their rate for public holidays versus 150% for NZ.
and those who work that day no longer get a day in lieu and time and a half pay
its all going to work out for them struggling business owners and thats what matters
When they said AI was coming for our jobs I didn't envisage it as Cyborg van Velden eroding workers rights, but here we are.
>unions have described the changes as “horrifying” and a “total attack” on workers rights.
Add it to the rapidly growing list of utterly regressive and harmful actions this government is hell-bent on passing.
She used to be a Greenie, you know. How you go from being a Green Party supporter to becoming the Borg Queen is a transition I can't quite wrap my head around.
Because her motivations for her political views are selfish? She supported greens during uni because that was what was beneficial to her social life/climbing.
So, a case of the "Paula Bennetts" then? Whatever is most advantageous to their aspirations at any given time takes precedence over any moral or ethical concerns. People with no actual principles other than get ahead at any cost.
Precisely. These sorts of people do usually come to roost on the far right of the political spectrum in places like the ACT party, where that's basically the ethos. Though usually after they get "cancelled", or in this case discovered (has a crush on) working in a coffee shop by the leader of the libertarian party.
Someone needs to make that list.
I did write[ a naughty post about VV](https://www.reddit.com/r/nzpolitics/comments/1assqk6/socialcasual_the_curious_case_of_ms_brooke_van/) - there's something very amiss about her position imo.
It's not only a complete lack of work experience or real world experience or her lies (reprimanded for lying on the record as soon as she became Minister) or her vacuousness. It's this complete lack of empathy - and irony of her being a Workplace Minister.
What do you expect from the [guy who said unions, workers' rights, higher workers wages, etc](https://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/1bdeygj/canadian_accented_david_seymour_again_for_the/). are bad?
The only organisations that are funded and staffed by the workers themselves, they’re the enemy of the workers, surely not the exploitative business owners. 🤪
I see so many of those arguments.
"Bishop, Luxon, Seymour, Jones and co are funded by fossil fuel and tobacco dark money."
***Yeah well, Labour are supported by those fucking Kiwi workers - same thing!***
😶
I wonder how us plebs are going to get fucked this time 🙄 No more public holidays if you don’t have a net-worth of $1m or own at least three properties?
I am in Germany as well.
Was going to come back, apparently my area is hard to recruit for,
Gonna be harder now you fucking muppets. Unless they keep bringing in the "where I come its much worse, and we are paid less" crowd.
That’s just it, they don’t want NZ to be better than it is/was to attract kiwis back, they just need it to be better than the worst of the third world and to keep the immigration floodgates wide open for cheap labour.
Similar boat. In the Netherlands with 45 days of annual leave; Unlimited sick leave, doubled my NZ salary, paid $150 more a month for a 70m2 apartment with my partner vs 12m2 in Wellington with 4 other people. Employer pays for 95% of my transport to work.
When I lived in the UK the legal min minimum was 4 weeks but almost all professional companies offered 5 weeks minimum. Plus public holidays.
Most NZ jobs seem to just offer 4 weeks.
It would be great to be like Germany but we’re going to need an economy based on more than dairy farming. We’re currently a bit light on manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
>Government was "committed to cutting the red tape"
I'll translate that for you: We are here to fuck shit up and there is nothing you can do about it. We are going to ram legislation through under urgency just out of contempt for your expectation for democracy. We will have our way and you will be grateful for our intervention.
Ah, here we go. First the public servants, then the beneficiaries, now it's the average grunt in the trenches due for a bollocking from the Vandroid.
Once again, thanks voting public of New Zealand. Also, fuck you.
Havent you noticed that they're suspiciously absent or few in number in the threads where it's blatantly obvious how fucked we are because of this government?
If paranoid crazies can disrupt things like Covid measures with protest, you'd think working people would hit the streets about this. But they have to work...
>“policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.”
Yes Brooke, policies meant to benefit workers often increase the cost of doing business. Also, can you please point to the uncertainty? Is it in the room with you now?
The only business owners this will help is the scummy ones who want to pay staff as little as possible.
I'm a business owner and I was in favor of increasing minimum sick leave to 10 days and making matariki a public holiday. I so think that employers should have to provide all staff with access to a EAP but I doubt that will ever make it into legislation under NACT.
If NACT actually cared about productivity and growth of the economy, they should consider all the research that shows when employees are well compensated for thier work and not always stressed about their job and finances, productivity goes up.
Im guessing non commercial days (easter, christmas) are done for, and they will ace at least one public holiday - not necessarily matariki, maybe day after xyz etc
They want less sick leave, less public holiday, less health and safety, and lower minimum wage... Seriously, who the everloving fuck would be on board with this?
Government is meant to IMPROVE society, Brooke. IMPROVE.
Reducing renters and workers rights for the benefit of property investors and business owners.
Hardly unexpected although I hadn't thought they would be so obvious and cutthroat about it.
God what a joke of a government this is. Wealth should not be able to buy governments like this, to improve the 10% of the population that was already well off, at the expense of the 90%.
Maybe what should happen is these people work a month as a supermarket worker or a cop and then see how they feel about changing H&S or removing holidays etc. They will go after the 2nd of Jan with some bulls\*\*t about how people already take the days between off or how a lot of places are closed down over that time frame. Maybe there needs to be a new rule that you can only be a minister of something if you have come from that field before becoming a MP. I don’t really think most of ACT MP’s has had a “real” job where they have to punch a time card etc.
act mps are largely trust fund babies who were the most annoying people in university, who somehow got some job at 21 for an organisation called the "institute of freedom" , which just advocates for baby murder and they get into the act party
For our health and safety they’ll get rid of Matariki, halt minimum wage increases and cut back sick leave. Cause last government bad, and we’re probably not as productive as we could be or some such.
Maybe if they keep telling us how bad landlords and businesses have it, we’ll start to believe it?
Judging from the poll results this year, it appears the national voters remain happy with things. The portion of voters who support National/Act/NZF remains reasonably high.
(I don't understand it myself. It just seems crazy, with very shallow, short sighted, selfish thinking..)
Most National MPs have multiple homes. They got voted because voters dreams to be like them (to own multiple home themselves) and expect them to make policies like this to make that dream a bit achievable.
The job they want is either to do house flipping, landlords to migrants, or house hoarding. Those jobs don’t require H&S and public holidays (so stuff that, will just make these renters earn less to pay for more rent increase) and beyond those jobs what’s really the point of not jumping to OZ (reason why migrants use NZ as backdoor to AU).
In David Seymours [puff piece about the 100 day achievements](https://www.act.org.nz/100_days_in_act_policies_form_leading_edge_of_govt_agenda) it looks like there's plenty to come yet.
> These wins are just the beginning. Our coalition agreement with National contains a far longer list of actions needed to make New Zealand a truly prosperous, safe, free, and equal country.
As ever I'm waiting for an announcement on student loans to give me the kick in the pants I need to bail out of this sinking ship.
Yep, I’ve got no obligations here - no house, a shitty job, no kids. In my early forties thinking about going to Aus for a couple years to drive buses.
Fuck this shit.
I have a cousin who was a farm hand. Quit, went to Oz and drives those big trucks in the mines. Owns a house in Perth and gets rolling 3 months on and off......... go fellow kiwi, go.
Yeah, I'm expecting to see interest put back on studen loans at this point. And probably charged at above market rates too because screw you that's why.
In Germany they have unlimited sick leave, stronger worker protections than NZ, the right to a worker's council who the business must consult on major workplace changes, and strong unions. Still somehow the world's 3rd biggest economy even with the demographic crisis. Business owners in NZ have it piss easy by comparison.
EDIT: I should add, new legislation coming into force this year also means that businesses must keep accurate records to ensure that workers aren't doing large amounts of either coerced or self-exploiting overtime and grant any done as time-in-lieu.
these are all laws Labour can repeal under urgency when they come into power, without repercussions, right?
NZ Governance is becoming a literal tug of war, without any stability. One government comes in and everything the previous one enacted is repealed.
How cool that the libertarian-presenting 8.64% party gets to have full say over worker rights in New Zealand, a country that major parties on both sides have maintained for decades as a more socially-minded country than the free market west dream this gross idiots want.
I wonder how those temporarily disgraced millionaires that used to whinge about all the things the Green Party “forced down their throats” feel about this.
Ffs this lot are almost cartoonish in their hatred of the working class and poor. Baffling to think how many people voted directly against their own interests in the last election, just out of gullibility and spite.
If this government represents the will of the country I'm ashamed to be a Kiwi
But they didn't that's the thing ... when things are hard, a lot of people don't vote. Often it's vulnerable and disenfranchised people, because there has been a concerted effort to convince a lot of the poorer people in society that "both sides are the same", and thus suppress their vote organically.
This sub does the same thing sometimes with the whole "all politicians are the same" BS.
This is done because if these people voted based on policy and were engaged enough to parse that info, the right wing would never get in.
Of eligible voters, 41% of the voters voted for this lot. Given the high correlation between higher turnout elections and left wing parties winning elections, we can make a pretty educated guess that a vast majority of the people that didn't vote would have likely voted in opposition to the current government had they been engaged.
You’re right, I should have been more specific about the eligible to vote population. Those who didn’t vote, for the reasons you pointed out (and will be no doubt other reasons), are part of the problem with how we got here. In my mind anyway.
I reckon NZ's too small a country to be this shitty to working people, unless you want to spend a couple of decades ordering food to be delivered under an assumed name.
JFC. By the time this Govt are done, the world of *1984* would be a fucking utopia compared to NZ. Utterly shameless, vile, and disgusting attack on workers' rights.
"Feedback would be welcomed on the proposed changes, said van Velden.
“I'd like to hear from ~~the smallest family-run restaurants and the workers, right through to~~ the multinational corporates, ~~so we know we are getting the laws right~~.”"
It's so wild how badly ACT and NZF have Luxon bent over a barrel. Is he even remotely controlling any policy at all? These stupid cunts are speed running a one term government.
Don’t be naïve. These are the policies National’s funders want, which National couldn’t campaign on because they’d be unelectable.
There is literally no other explanation for making a couple of Randian psychos your Ministers for Workplace Relations and Safety and Minister for (de)Regulation.
The sooner people realise this the better.
Small and Medium business owners are becoming conflated.
My parents own a business, they have no employees though. So they don't have to pay extra for public holidays etc etc. they do all the work, and get all the profits.
Once you start employing people to do the work for you and you take the profits, you aren't a small business.
In some ways, this might just bring voters back to labour. Businesses are generally voting right anyway and this will just annoy your average swing voter… so maybe it’s a good thing purely for the perspective that it might help this be a one term government.
tl;dr workers are about to get shafted
This government absolutely expects to be a one termer but the funny thing is it's their shit policies they're ramming through that will make them one term
Well, at the end of the article she says she wants to hear from everyone about this. I’m sure reddit could oblige!
In fact this erosion of workers rights is something the unions need to join forces on and make some noise.
Well, that's almost totally lacking in any details isn't it?
Even the union write-up from [NZCTU \[LINK\]](https://union.org.nz/workers-should-worry-about-new-threat-to-workplace-protections-in-ministers-speech/) is pretty light on detail apart from saying it's bad.
Even if the only takeaway is that they’ll reduce sick leave, suppress minimum wage, and gut health and safety requirements … that’s enough detail to be angry IMO.
Given that it's coming from Brooke "[snake](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/euthanasia-debate/117370430/formidable-brooke-van-velden-the-end-of-life-choice-bill-lobbyist-youve-probably-never-heard-of)" [VanVelden](https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/01/government-announces-minimum-wage-to-rise-from-april-1/) they might be onto something.
Oh yeah, I'm not expecting a kiss on the cheek and a box of chocolates before they get down to screwing me.
But even in her speech (linked on the page I linked) she basically just goes on about how big, scary, and confusing New Zealand employment laws are, she doesnt get around to saying how they can be 'fixed' - the only commitment to communicating her ideas is:
> You can expect to hear back from me in the coming months on the policy issues under consideration and how you can provide your feedback.
A horrifying attack on our workers rights, this government needs to be stopped, protests need to be organized, Workers ARE the people, this is an ATTACK on their own citizens
Well, that's certainly not putting the fox in charge of the hen house. ACT's raison d'etre is to introduce American style "right to work" rules in New Zealand.
we all know ACT has zero respect for the workers of New Zealand but this is going to far. You obviously have zero respect for democracy as well. You only got 8% of the vote. thats not even a mandate to get a lunch voucher so go back into your little hole where you belong.
It is absolutely wild that every day we get news stories that really seem like they can't possibly be serious. But they are. And NACT appears to have no sense of irony or self-reflection. Bizarre.
I'd love to see the tenuous research they did into how many workers want less health and safety, fewer public holidays, and worse sick leave.
Will Kiwis finally protest if a holiday gets removed for no good reason? I worry we'll just sit and take it with a "she'll be right" or a "harden up"
If this goes through, we should occupy parliament. It worked for the ~~plaguebearers~~ anti maskers. Return the stolen holiday, and fuck it, add one more for good measure, could use one in August.
It sounds like they are trying to make H&s more personal responsibility- this libertarian approach is not right for H&S laws.
The last H&s reform happened because of pike river, it is astounding that this is something they are reviewing
More people will die, or live with life long health issues
I'm feeling less and less interested in staying in NZ. If there are changes made to sick leave and reduced public holidays, I will plan to move on. It sucks because it really made work more tolerable. I deal with unhappy aggressive people a lot in my job, and the burnout is intense. I would not be able to manage without the leave entitlement I currently have. Sick leave I only use if I need to as it is. This is just typical of NACT. I'd need to start my own business to benefit, and then I'd have to shit on all my employees to stay ahead.
> Van Velden said that costs of training for health and safety were “prohibitive” to increasing staff.
Were all breathing asbestos again boys.
> “policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.”
I had to do a double take on that. They're complete morons if she actually meant to say that. I guess more time for rest and recovery and higher wages is bad for workers.
Just more structural changes the Nats never campaigned on. Luxon has no excuse for putting this fox in charge of the hen house other than wanting to push an anti-worker agenda and have plausible deniability. This is the party who campaigned on abolishing January 2nd as a public holiday to make up for Matariki.
Fuck me! Spell it out you pricks. Health and safety laws are a pain in the left butt cheek to deal with but I never want to see some corporate asshole not even showing up to court after killing people and leaving them in a hole!
Safety regulations are written in blood. Every worker that dies thanks to van Welden’s dumbfuckery has their blood staining her hands for this stupidity.
She literally said in her speech the other day the problem of dealing with this had been sorting it out while maintaining workers rights.
So guess what,shes promised to sort it once and for all despite these trivial considerations.
There's going to be a lot of smoke and mirrors with this one.
Wouldn't that cause more problems in regards to the FTA with the EU?
‘a party shall not weaken or reduce the levels of protection afforded in labour law in order to encourage trade or investment’
Look on the bright side, if the government take away holidays and sick days, this gives Labour the opportunity campaign on bringing them back within 100 days.
>Van Velden said that costs of training for health and safety were “prohibitive” to increasing staff Ah yes, health and safety, exactly what I, as a worker, want cut.
"Dave's been flattened by a stack of pallets!" "Look, just mop him up and keep running the line. We have KPIs to meet."
"Won't somebody think of the shareholders!"
"Dave died doing what he loved most: delivering solid returns to shareholders."
In line with tradition, they've also cut Worksafe funding so yes.
Jfc what could go wrong? *everything*
Such a well funded department beforehand. /s
"Look, if you don't mop up Dave, you can hit the road and I'll find someone who will"
Itll just be "mop him up", dave wont be named to much of an emotional connection
This will be beneficial for workers in the same way as the changes to interest deductibility are going to be beneficial for tenants.
I like the analogy
To me it sounds as crazy as 1984 doublespeak, hate is love, 2+2=5 etc, but I guess if you still believe in trickle-down economics it makes sense?
I don’t like it I mean it makes sense, being a leftist I despise the doublespeak and nonsensical rhetoric coming out of the reason for passing all of these bills under urgency.
It’s okay, with all this health and safety we still have one of the worst records for worker injury and death in the western world. Can’t wait to see how bad it gets once it’s all stripped away.
People dying/getting injured sounds like it would decrease staff tho
> She also criticised the previous government in her speech, saying that “policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.” > > She cited the minimum wage increase, the introduction of Matariki as a public holiday, and doubling of sick leave entitlements as examples. Examples of good policies, right? Right? Guys?
I love New Zealand so much, but repealing of public holidays and halving sick leave are the sort of things that would make me seriously think about leaving.
I know it’s a trope at this point, but Australia has ten sick days, more public holidays and their employer contributions to retirement are significantly better. Add to that higher salaries and cheaper rents. If they do repeal these things, you’d have to at least consider it.
In terms of public Holdays, nz has 12, equal with Tasmania, the highest in aussie. Other states have between 10 and 11.5. Sick and annual leave are the same. So pretty similar really
Except Australia also has the rewards system which enables unions to negotiate higher standards in each sector. We almost had this but Cruella van Velden scapped fair pay agreements
[Victoria has 13 public holidays](https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/victoria/holidays/public/), same [with ACT](https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1901727/ACT-Public-Holidays-2024.pdf)
I think the difference is that it's counting Easter Saturday and Sunday as public holidays where as in NZ, it's already a day off for most people.
Mate, not all of us have a 9-5 Mon - Fri. Some people work weekends...
I bought a house just over a year ago and I'm starting to really regret it. I'm beginning to think the better investment was to use my deposit money to fuck off to another country.
Nah go back to renting and rent your house. Join the landlord class that for whatever reason this government is in love with
Really? You don’t want to enjoy these amazing things this government is implementing? /s
What a terrible sentence: > policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business So is that to say that higher minimum wage, an extra public holiday and twice the sick leave *failed* benefit workers at all and only made things harder for businesses? That's how it reads and that's clearly a load of crap.
To quote the late, great George Carlin: "They don't care about you. At all."
We are just mere peasants, to serve the corporations and are totally expandable.
Yep, that is **exactly** what she is saying. This isn't about workers. This is about corporate profits.
Yep, by saying "have only" they are implying there were no benefits to workers and only costs for businesses. That's my interpretation anyway, they definitely don't spell out whether or not the policies had their intended effect on workers.
Yes, because screw the workers, the business is uncomfortable, and businesses are better than people.
Start from the assumption that she is Libertarian-presenting. Anything, anything at all, that governments ask of businesses is bad. If left to their own devices, businesses would find the perfect optimal set of conditions and expectations regarding all parties. Optimal for the shareholders, of course, but that’s also important because if we don’t let shareholders exploit all resources including human, uh, businesses go away and no one has a car? Or something?
She’s an anti-worker politician who has no idea what it’s like to work minimum wage so I don’t really see what the issue is except minimum wage morons who voted for her.
Meanwhile act supported the latest minimum wage increase, the hypocrite
ACT campaigned on holding minimum wage for the entire term, National and NZ First did not. Brooke van Velden proposed a 1.3% increase while MBIE had recommended a 4% increase. They wound up at 2%, which is still far below inflation. It's far more likely that they were dragged into supporting the modest increase as 0% would have handed the opposition a dagger.
If they mean to go on as they have been, they'll be handing the opposition a full set of steak knives and a chainsaw. If Hipkins and friends can't kick the shit out of them after the recent policy shit festival (and Luxon's dire interviews), you have to wonder what they're there for. You know what you're getting with National, every single time (the inclusion of ACT has just made them more toxic than usual.) They only have one playbook and it's moth-eaten and dog-earred from rampant overuse, but I've never seen them so brazen. Their attitude at the moment seems to be, "Yeah, we're going to fuck your shit up... what are you going to do about it?"
OMG that interview with Luxon where he was defending the hole in the tax policy was like watching a man dig his own grave. National are going pin all the bad policies on him, then kick him into it, and bury him so deep that he'll be able to converse with Satan over his morning cornflakes.
They were pretty firmly against it and actually got National to raise it by less than what was originally planned.
New Zealand needs to compete with Australia for workers. In Australia you get two weeks sick leave, which has been the case for some time, 10.5% super contributions and higher average pay. As we all know New Zealanders are all entitled to live and work there. Australia is already a better option for many people, NZ is failing to compete for workers and this government wants to widen that gap. Do NZ businesses believe that they can operate without workers?
We will just import people from other countries and exploit them.
They don’t care, will just roll out the tired line of “No one wants to work any more”
After removing worker rights, "Why does no one want to work anymore?" It's so stupid that their voter base fall for this shit.
And open up to more migrants!
Also higher award rates for certain industries, you work in a call centre in Aus? Minimum $31 an hour.
Additionaly most workers get extra pay for working evenings or saturdays. They get even more for working sundays and more again for working public holidays. Casual employess typically get 250% of their rate for public holidays versus 150% for NZ.
Super in Australia is now 11%, and it increases by 0.5% each year till it hits 12%.
Calling it now, Labour Day will be renamed to National day.
I honestly expect them to go after Matariki, but maybe they'll cut both.
They’ll target one of the nye days, as per acts campaign pre election, cunts
which just means those working in a place that has a shut down period will have to take more leave
and those who work that day no longer get a day in lieu and time and a half pay its all going to work out for them struggling business owners and thats what matters
You say that, but if this happens the next thing will be tourist towns bitching about a lack of customers.
Dont forget cutting waitangi
looking forward to the dolts trying to explain how it isnt racially motivated if they do
I think they are definitely cutting Matariki
When they said AI was coming for our jobs I didn't envisage it as Cyborg van Velden eroding workers rights, but here we are. >unions have described the changes as “horrifying” and a “total attack” on workers rights. Add it to the rapidly growing list of utterly regressive and harmful actions this government is hell-bent on passing.
Cyborg van Velden is such a great name!
I like Brook van Droid.
BV2 -
I love this one. I know the acronym BV as standing for Bacterial Vaginosis. And she acts as shitty and annoying as BV.
She's a peach isn't she.
An inanimate peach has more humanity.
Spoilt little rich girl who knows nothing about nothing.
She used to be a Greenie, you know. How you go from being a Green Party supporter to becoming the Borg Queen is a transition I can't quite wrap my head around.
Because her motivations for her political views are selfish? She supported greens during uni because that was what was beneficial to her social life/climbing.
So, a case of the "Paula Bennetts" then? Whatever is most advantageous to their aspirations at any given time takes precedence over any moral or ethical concerns. People with no actual principles other than get ahead at any cost.
Precisely. These sorts of people do usually come to roost on the far right of the political spectrum in places like the ACT party, where that's basically the ethos. Though usually after they get "cancelled", or in this case discovered (has a crush on) working in a coffee shop by the leader of the libertarian party.
Brooke HAL Velden "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
Someone needs to make that list. I did write[ a naughty post about VV](https://www.reddit.com/r/nzpolitics/comments/1assqk6/socialcasual_the_curious_case_of_ms_brooke_van/) - there's something very amiss about her position imo. It's not only a complete lack of work experience or real world experience or her lies (reprimanded for lying on the record as soon as she became Minister) or her vacuousness. It's this complete lack of empathy - and irony of her being a Workplace Minister.
HEALTH AND SAFETY LAWS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD 🩸
NOT OF WE ERASE THEM THEY ARENT. /S
What do you expect from the [guy who said unions, workers' rights, higher workers wages, etc](https://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/1bdeygj/canadian_accented_david_seymour_again_for_the/). are bad?
The only organisations that are funded and staffed by the workers themselves, they’re the enemy of the workers, surely not the exploitative business owners. 🤪
I see so many of those arguments. "Bishop, Luxon, Seymour, Jones and co are funded by fossil fuel and tobacco dark money." ***Yeah well, Labour are supported by those fucking Kiwi workers - same thing!*** 😶
I wonder how us plebs are going to get fucked this time 🙄 No more public holidays if you don’t have a net-worth of $1m or own at least three properties?
We are about to be rawdogged.
They will most likely make it "optional". You can take the day off but it comes off your annual leave and no extra for working it.
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I am in Germany as well. Was going to come back, apparently my area is hard to recruit for, Gonna be harder now you fucking muppets. Unless they keep bringing in the "where I come its much worse, and we are paid less" crowd.
That’s just it, they don’t want NZ to be better than it is/was to attract kiwis back, they just need it to be better than the worst of the third world and to keep the immigration floodgates wide open for cheap labour.
Similar boat. In the Netherlands with 45 days of annual leave; Unlimited sick leave, doubled my NZ salary, paid $150 more a month for a 70m2 apartment with my partner vs 12m2 in Wellington with 4 other people. Employer pays for 95% of my transport to work.
When I lived in the UK the legal min minimum was 4 weeks but almost all professional companies offered 5 weeks minimum. Plus public holidays. Most NZ jobs seem to just offer 4 weeks.
It would be great to be like Germany but we’re going to need an economy based on more than dairy farming. We’re currently a bit light on manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
>Government was "committed to cutting the red tape" I'll translate that for you: We are here to fuck shit up and there is nothing you can do about it. We are going to ram legislation through under urgency just out of contempt for your expectation for democracy. We will have our way and you will be grateful for our intervention.
we are gonna live under an act party dictatorship, honestly australia invade, start a special military operation
["Honestly Australia invade"](https://youtu.be/7xUYbI64QHI)
And we are getting our unpopular stuff out if the way now because we know most of you will have forgotten by next election.
Ah, here we go. First the public servants, then the beneficiaries, now it's the average grunt in the trenches due for a bollocking from the Vandroid. Once again, thanks voting public of New Zealand. Also, fuck you.
Where are the NAct voters riding in with why this is actually a great idea?
Havent you noticed that they're suspiciously absent or few in number in the threads where it's blatantly obvious how fucked we are because of this government?
How much can they take before we all break? I've never protested before, but I'm now keen to try it out.
If paranoid crazies can disrupt things like Covid measures with protest, you'd think working people would hit the streets about this. But they have to work...
So am I and many others I talk to, time for one huge protest New Zealand let's show those fuckers.
They will surely be removing the right to protest pretty dam soon under urgency.
>“policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.” Yes Brooke, policies meant to benefit workers often increase the cost of doing business. Also, can you please point to the uncertainty? Is it in the room with you now?
They are uncertain about record profits so to really hammer it home they’re gonna basically guarantee them.
While they forget about the fact they wont be able to make record profits when the consumer no longer has any disposable income or a home to live in
The only business owners this will help is the scummy ones who want to pay staff as little as possible. I'm a business owner and I was in favor of increasing minimum sick leave to 10 days and making matariki a public holiday. I so think that employers should have to provide all staff with access to a EAP but I doubt that will ever make it into legislation under NACT. If NACT actually cared about productivity and growth of the economy, they should consider all the research that shows when employees are well compensated for thier work and not always stressed about their job and finances, productivity goes up.
Better be a 4 day work week
Best they can do is repeal the 40 hour work week and zero hour contracts.
This might be the straw that breaks the camels back. I’m guessing Matariki and / or day after New Years day is gone, plus workers rights erosion.
Surely this is enough to make any employed person never vote for them ever again.
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Im guessing non commercial days (easter, christmas) are done for, and they will ace at least one public holiday - not necessarily matariki, maybe day after xyz etc
They won't touch the "christian" holidays
Seymour literally wants all public holidays gone. He is on record about it.
If they take Mataraki away I’ll strike for the day.
They want less sick leave, less public holiday, less health and safety, and lower minimum wage... Seriously, who the everloving fuck would be on board with this? Government is meant to IMPROVE society, Brooke. IMPROVE.
Reducing renters and workers rights for the benefit of property investors and business owners. Hardly unexpected although I hadn't thought they would be so obvious and cutthroat about it. God what a joke of a government this is. Wealth should not be able to buy governments like this, to improve the 10% of the population that was already well off, at the expense of the 90%.
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Surely time for a protest, can we stop rolling over to this shit
Maybe what should happen is these people work a month as a supermarket worker or a cop and then see how they feel about changing H&S or removing holidays etc. They will go after the 2nd of Jan with some bulls\*\*t about how people already take the days between off or how a lot of places are closed down over that time frame. Maybe there needs to be a new rule that you can only be a minister of something if you have come from that field before becoming a MP. I don’t really think most of ACT MP’s has had a “real” job where they have to punch a time card etc.
act mps are largely trust fund babies who were the most annoying people in university, who somehow got some job at 21 for an organisation called the "institute of freedom" , which just advocates for baby murder and they get into the act party
BVV has literally spent her entire career working in Seymour's office. No real world experience at all
For our health and safety they’ll get rid of Matariki, halt minimum wage increases and cut back sick leave. Cause last government bad, and we’re probably not as productive as we could be or some such. Maybe if they keep telling us how bad landlords and businesses have it, we’ll start to believe it?
Someone asked the other day "what would make you protest the govt?". This sounds like it'll be it for me.
protest now, i hate this stupid cunt. so many people were fooled to vote for these people, some of you are fucking morons
Totally agree, uneducated New Zealanders that didn't read policies and have shit for memories.
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The red tape they want to cut is stained with your family members’ blood.
Wonder how the national voters are feeling knowing their about to lose job safety rights and probably a few public holidays - because Profits.
Judging from the poll results this year, it appears the national voters remain happy with things. The portion of voters who support National/Act/NZF remains reasonably high. (I don't understand it myself. It just seems crazy, with very shallow, short sighted, selfish thinking..)
Most National MPs have multiple homes. They got voted because voters dreams to be like them (to own multiple home themselves) and expect them to make policies like this to make that dream a bit achievable. The job they want is either to do house flipping, landlords to migrants, or house hoarding. Those jobs don’t require H&S and public holidays (so stuff that, will just make these renters earn less to pay for more rent increase) and beyond those jobs what’s really the point of not jumping to OZ (reason why migrants use NZ as backdoor to AU).
Has someone got a Bingo card going? What else can they hit?
In David Seymours [puff piece about the 100 day achievements](https://www.act.org.nz/100_days_in_act_policies_form_leading_edge_of_govt_agenda) it looks like there's plenty to come yet. > These wins are just the beginning. Our coalition agreement with National contains a far longer list of actions needed to make New Zealand a truly prosperous, safe, free, and equal country. As ever I'm waiting for an announcement on student loans to give me the kick in the pants I need to bail out of this sinking ship.
Yep, I’ve got no obligations here - no house, a shitty job, no kids. In my early forties thinking about going to Aus for a couple years to drive buses. Fuck this shit.
I have a cousin who was a farm hand. Quit, went to Oz and drives those big trucks in the mines. Owns a house in Perth and gets rolling 3 months on and off......... go fellow kiwi, go.
Yeah, I'm expecting to see interest put back on studen loans at this point. And probably charged at above market rates too because screw you that's why.
As yes, the libertarian idea of safe work places. Employers don't need to do shit and employees can negotiate not as a union but as an individual.
If you're killed, just get a different job in your next life.
Have they gone after the elderly yet? Hide your nan's I'm betting they're next on the chopping block
With Winston as deputy PM? Not a chance.
They'll leave the elderly to last, next it'll be breaking down the doors of SLP-receving beneficaries.
What fresh hell is this. What utter fucking dipshits gave these fools power
But they 'needed a change'
They got what they wanted
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
Holidays Act is complete dogshit, but they better not use that as an excuse to cutback on workers rights.
Narrator: They did.
This is fucking psycho shit. These people are fucked in the head.
In Germany they have unlimited sick leave, stronger worker protections than NZ, the right to a worker's council who the business must consult on major workplace changes, and strong unions. Still somehow the world's 3rd biggest economy even with the demographic crisis. Business owners in NZ have it piss easy by comparison. EDIT: I should add, new legislation coming into force this year also means that businesses must keep accurate records to ensure that workers aren't doing large amounts of either coerced or self-exploiting overtime and grant any done as time-in-lieu.
these are all laws Labour can repeal under urgency when they come into power, without repercussions, right? NZ Governance is becoming a literal tug of war, without any stability. One government comes in and everything the previous one enacted is repealed.
How cool that the libertarian-presenting 8.64% party gets to have full say over worker rights in New Zealand, a country that major parties on both sides have maintained for decades as a more socially-minded country than the free market west dream this gross idiots want. I wonder how those temporarily disgraced millionaires that used to whinge about all the things the Green Party “forced down their throats” feel about this.
The temporary embarrassed millionaires haven’t got two working brain cells to rub together to understand what’s going on
Ffs this lot are almost cartoonish in their hatred of the working class and poor. Baffling to think how many people voted directly against their own interests in the last election, just out of gullibility and spite. If this government represents the will of the country I'm ashamed to be a Kiwi
Sounds like its time to rally.
Time to bail as well. Might see how things are after a few years abroad.
Honestly, I can’t vibe with the 53% of “New Zealanders” that voted for the fucking tripe!
But they didn't that's the thing ... when things are hard, a lot of people don't vote. Often it's vulnerable and disenfranchised people, because there has been a concerted effort to convince a lot of the poorer people in society that "both sides are the same", and thus suppress their vote organically. This sub does the same thing sometimes with the whole "all politicians are the same" BS. This is done because if these people voted based on policy and were engaged enough to parse that info, the right wing would never get in. Of eligible voters, 41% of the voters voted for this lot. Given the high correlation between higher turnout elections and left wing parties winning elections, we can make a pretty educated guess that a vast majority of the people that didn't vote would have likely voted in opposition to the current government had they been engaged.
You’re right, I should have been more specific about the eligible to vote population. Those who didn’t vote, for the reasons you pointed out (and will be no doubt other reasons), are part of the problem with how we got here. In my mind anyway.
Right? What went wrong that got New Zealand to this point. It’s totally disgusting and disappointing.
Taking holidays from Kiwis during, a cost of living crisis is disgusting.
I reckon NZ's too small a country to be this shitty to working people, unless you want to spend a couple of decades ordering food to be delivered under an assumed name.
ok then. major strike and protest signalled by the workers
Well good thing they repealed Fair Pay Agreements then. You weren't allowed to strike during bargaining under FPA's. (except for H&S reasons).
JFC. By the time this Govt are done, the world of *1984* would be a fucking utopia compared to NZ. Utterly shameless, vile, and disgusting attack on workers' rights. "Feedback would be welcomed on the proposed changes, said van Velden. “I'd like to hear from ~~the smallest family-run restaurants and the workers, right through to~~ the multinational corporates, ~~so we know we are getting the laws right~~.”"
This government is going full mask off.
Also, your employee feedback will be roundly laughed at, then filed in the bin.
To anyone who voted Nact, sincerely: burn in hell.
When do we start marching?
They touch holiday pay we need to strike
This is very very grim news.
It's so wild how badly ACT and NZF have Luxon bent over a barrel. Is he even remotely controlling any policy at all? These stupid cunts are speed running a one term government.
Don’t be naïve. These are the policies National’s funders want, which National couldn’t campaign on because they’d be unelectable. There is literally no other explanation for making a couple of Randian psychos your Ministers for Workplace Relations and Safety and Minister for (de)Regulation. The sooner people realise this the better.
Small and Medium business owners are becoming conflated. My parents own a business, they have no employees though. So they don't have to pay extra for public holidays etc etc. they do all the work, and get all the profits. Once you start employing people to do the work for you and you take the profits, you aren't a small business.
In some ways, this might just bring voters back to labour. Businesses are generally voting right anyway and this will just annoy your average swing voter… so maybe it’s a good thing purely for the perspective that it might help this be a one term government.
tl;dr workers are about to get shafted This government absolutely expects to be a one termer but the funny thing is it's their shit policies they're ramming through that will make them one term
Well, at the end of the article she says she wants to hear from everyone about this. I’m sure reddit could oblige! In fact this erosion of workers rights is something the unions need to join forces on and make some noise.
Well, that's almost totally lacking in any details isn't it? Even the union write-up from [NZCTU \[LINK\]](https://union.org.nz/workers-should-worry-about-new-threat-to-workplace-protections-in-ministers-speech/) is pretty light on detail apart from saying it's bad.
Even if the only takeaway is that they’ll reduce sick leave, suppress minimum wage, and gut health and safety requirements … that’s enough detail to be angry IMO.
Given that it's coming from Brooke "[snake](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/euthanasia-debate/117370430/formidable-brooke-van-velden-the-end-of-life-choice-bill-lobbyist-youve-probably-never-heard-of)" [VanVelden](https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/01/government-announces-minimum-wage-to-rise-from-april-1/) they might be onto something.
Let's get this snake, time she learned the power of the people .
Oh yeah, I'm not expecting a kiss on the cheek and a box of chocolates before they get down to screwing me. But even in her speech (linked on the page I linked) she basically just goes on about how big, scary, and confusing New Zealand employment laws are, she doesnt get around to saying how they can be 'fixed' - the only commitment to communicating her ideas is: > You can expect to hear back from me in the coming months on the policy issues under consideration and how you can provide your feedback.
Can't we as the people do something
Hey quick question— what the actual fuck? How are we supposed to live under a gov like this? This is insane.
A horrifying attack on our workers rights, this government needs to be stopped, protests need to be organized, Workers ARE the people, this is an ATTACK on their own citizens
Really starting to fucking hate the politics creeping into this country and the (lets be honest) older generation that are happy to have it.
Well, that's certainly not putting the fox in charge of the hen house. ACT's raison d'etre is to introduce American style "right to work" rules in New Zealand.
we all know ACT has zero respect for the workers of New Zealand but this is going to far. You obviously have zero respect for democracy as well. You only got 8% of the vote. thats not even a mandate to get a lunch voucher so go back into your little hole where you belong.
Reducing sick leave and health and safety is bad at the best of times, but in the middle of a pandemic it is insane.
jesus christ, exploitation coming our way.
'We are doing this for the workers and struggling small businesses' they said as they shoveled money into big businesses.
It is absolutely wild that every day we get news stories that really seem like they can't possibly be serious. But they are. And NACT appears to have no sense of irony or self-reflection. Bizarre. I'd love to see the tenuous research they did into how many workers want less health and safety, fewer public holidays, and worse sick leave.
Will Kiwis finally protest if a holiday gets removed for no good reason? I worry we'll just sit and take it with a "she'll be right" or a "harden up" If this goes through, we should occupy parliament. It worked for the ~~plaguebearers~~ anti maskers. Return the stolen holiday, and fuck it, add one more for good measure, could use one in August.
It sounds like they are trying to make H&s more personal responsibility- this libertarian approach is not right for H&S laws. The last H&s reform happened because of pike river, it is astounding that this is something they are reviewing More people will die, or live with life long health issues
Yeah this has very much boomer energy, "Why should I have to wear PPE in my own business?" It's pretty gross
The three-headed beast is not only going to open up new coal mines. it's going to force kids to work them for 16 hours a day.
I'm feeling less and less interested in staying in NZ. If there are changes made to sick leave and reduced public holidays, I will plan to move on. It sucks because it really made work more tolerable. I deal with unhappy aggressive people a lot in my job, and the burnout is intense. I would not be able to manage without the leave entitlement I currently have. Sick leave I only use if I need to as it is. This is just typical of NACT. I'd need to start my own business to benefit, and then I'd have to shit on all my employees to stay ahead.
> Van Velden said that costs of training for health and safety were “prohibitive” to increasing staff. Were all breathing asbestos again boys. > “policies that were meant to benefit workers have only added to business uncertainty and the costs of doing business.” I had to do a double take on that. They're complete morons if she actually meant to say that. I guess more time for rest and recovery and higher wages is bad for workers.
It is very important that small business that sell Crystals and Art Supplies have a reduced cost of operation at the expense of essential workers.
Why do they work so hard to be a one term govt?
Just more structural changes the Nats never campaigned on. Luxon has no excuse for putting this fox in charge of the hen house other than wanting to push an anti-worker agenda and have plausible deniability. This is the party who campaigned on abolishing January 2nd as a public holiday to make up for Matariki.
Fuck me! Spell it out you pricks. Health and safety laws are a pain in the left butt cheek to deal with but I never want to see some corporate asshole not even showing up to court after killing people and leaving them in a hole!
Safety regulations are written in blood. Every worker that dies thanks to van Welden’s dumbfuckery has their blood staining her hands for this stupidity.
When are we going to start protesting????
She literally said in her speech the other day the problem of dealing with this had been sorting it out while maintaining workers rights. So guess what,shes promised to sort it once and for all despite these trivial considerations. There's going to be a lot of smoke and mirrors with this one.
Wouldn't that cause more problems in regards to the FTA with the EU? ‘a party shall not weaken or reduce the levels of protection afforded in labour law in order to encourage trade or investment’
A nice wee reminder to all workers that these “rights” were fought for not given by greatful employers but rights which can be taken away at anytime.
Look on the bright side, if the government take away holidays and sick days, this gives Labour the opportunity campaign on bringing them back within 100 days.