The Government's tentpole labour market reform passed its first reading on Tuesday afternoon in a fractious sitting, in which Labour alleged the Opposition had been spreading "misinformation" about the bill, and National countered that the Government was delivering a legislative kickback to union backers.
Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) will overhaul employment law in New Zealand, making it far easier for workers to collectively negotiate with employers, and creating sector-wide awards determining pay and conditions for workers.
Under the Government's proposal, unions can begin an FPA negotiation if they get support from 1000 workers who would be covered by the agreement, 10 per cent of a workforce, or meet a public interest test. People do not need to be union members to count towards those tests, and they do not need to join a union to be covered by an FPA.
Wood said the agreements would create "a new, modern, sector-based bargaining system that supports fair, safe and productive workplaces".
Speaking on the bill, Workplace Relations Minister Michael Wood implicitly accused the opposition of debating the agreements with "misinformation and scaremongering".
He drew attention to two incorrect claims that had been circulating around FPAs.
Wood said there was "no compulsory union membership under FPAs" and there was "no recourse to industrial action by employees or employers during FPA negotiations - any claim to the contrary is factually false and is designed to scare rather than...
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