Shakeup of labour laws may be too tough for this term

A shakeup of labour laws has been kicked back to the public for consultation possibly pushing it out beyond the next election.

Fair Pay Agreements – compelling unions and employer associations to negotiate industry-wide collective employment agreements – were a promise to workers by the Labour-led government.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said there would be no more than two such agreements in place by the end of 2020.

At a Council of Trade Unions conference on Tuesday in Wellington, she reiterated the agreements would come, but required public support.

Two days later, it appears that public support may be measured at the ballot box during the 2020 election.

Minister for Workplace Relations Iain Lees-Galloway issued a discussion paper yesterday on the agreements, giving workers, unions and employers five weeks to answer questions.

Should negotiations between union and employer associations be triggered when 10 per cent, or 1000 workers decide they’re unhappy?

Should an industry’s minimum pay standard differ between cities like Auckland, and towns like Tokoroa?

The questions suggest the Government would adopt many of the recommendations from a working group report, received by Lees-Galloway nine months ago.

Lees-Galloway said that since January, further gaps in the policy had been filled.

But whether the consultation would be completed and legislation pass Parliament before the end of next year, Lees-Galloway said he could not say.

‘‘It’s impossible to say how long each of those phases will take . . . we’ll take the time to get it right. I’m confident that we will have fair pay agreements, yes, absolutely.’’

Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff said he couldn’t say he was confident the legislation would pass this term, as the minister was not.

‘‘We will be pushing for that . . . As far as we’re concerned that should happen.’’

Union E tu¯ responded to the document on Tuesday saying it would not support regional variations to pay rates, and would back the trigger for negotiations at 10 per cent of a workforce or

1000 workers. BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope said trigger threshold would likely be pushed back on by business, among other aspects.

The window for the Government to bring in the agreements and see one negotiated before the

2020 election was tight, he said.