Good Employer Requirements Needed In New Immigration Law

New immigration law currently going through Parliament must include “good employer” requirements for labour migration, the Council of Trade Unions will tell a select committee this morning.

“New Zealand wants to be an attractive destination for potential migrants.  A clear statement that people are coming to a country with good employer requirements will help to make New Zealand a more attractive destination in a competitive global market,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said.

“And just as good employer requirements would help to attract migrants, a clear statement about good employer practice would also ensure that migration does not undermine the good employment and employer experiences of New Zealand workers.”

There are a number of ways of achieving this, including a pastoral care code for migrant labour or labour market impact statements with each labour migration policy.

“Our preferred option though is a code of good employer behaviour in an immigration context, along the same lines as the Code of Good Faith in the Employment Relations Act.  This could be developed through tripartite means as was the case in the ERA.”

The CTU’s submission is on our website here: http://union.org.nz/ImmigrationBill2007