Farm access plan ‘dangerous’
Workplace and biosecurity safety practices would be ‘‘thrown out the window’’ with proposed new employment laws, Federated Farmers says.
The Employment Relations Amendment Bill would give all employees rights to meal and rest breaks, limit 90-day trials to small businesses, and force businesses to settle collective agreements.
It would also give union representatives the right to enter workplaces unannounced and without permission, a move that could be dangerous, Federated Farmers employment spokesman Chris Lewis said.
‘‘There’s been little or no fuss with current laws that enable union representatives to enter a farm or any other workplace to talk to workers after liaising with the owner or manager about a suitable time,’’ Lewis said.
‘‘But under the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, union representatives can just bowl into a busy shearing or milking shed when they feel like it, with no need to give notice or seek permission.
‘‘Not only is that discourteous and a recipe for friction, but it can be dangerous when staff are flat tack with machinery and animals.’’
The proposed changes were a non-fix for a non-existent problem and would ‘‘really grate with farmers’’, Lewis said.
‘‘Willy-nilly access to farm properties, which are generally also the owning family’s home, seems to be a flavour of the moment,’’ he said.
‘‘Whether it’s Fish & Game people taking a weekend off from running down our sector to access waterways, visitors to the High Country treating private farmland as the national estate and now MPI inspectors not even needing a warrant or reason to search and seize, farming families’ quiet enjoyment of their land appears to be up for grabs.’’
Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said the bill was designed to provide greater protections to workers. ‘‘Good employment law strikes a balance between employers and workers,’’ Lees-Galloway said. ‘‘Under the previous government the balance tipped away from fair working conditions for workers. We will restore that balance.’’
Federated Farmers also had concerns over the removal of the 90-day trial period for businesses employing more than 20 people.
That would be a barrier to employers willing to take a punt on a job applicant with a chequered work history or limited qualifications, Lewis said.
However, Lees-Galloway said making life better for working New Zealanders was a fundamental value for the Labour-led Government. ‘‘Too many working New Zealanders are missing out.’’