February, 2004

"The Treasury report to Government on the Employment Relations Act amendments clearly contradicts business organisations' predictions of doom for the economy," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

"The Council of Trade Unions has filed a 77-page submission on the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill and is challenging the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) to explain why it can't get its submission in on time," CTU president Ross Wilson said today.

National Party leader Don Brash is using the proposed new labour law to attack unions and workers and score political points, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

A major report is calling for a trade union voice to be heard at international institutions which influence the global economy and affect the lives of millions of workers, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

"Margaret Wilson will be seen by history as a Minister who worked very hard to rebuild a modern employment law framework after the desolate years of the 1990s," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The increase in the minimum wage is welcome news for low-paid workers, Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.The Minister of Labour has announced that the adult minimum wage will go up 50 cents to $9 an hour from April 1.

"The increase falls well below what the CTU was seeking in its submission for an immediate movement to $10.52 an hour and a phasing in of a minimum wage that is two-thirds of the average wage," Carol Beaumont said.

However, the increase to $9 an hour maintains the momentum of this Government which has increased the minimum wage regularly since 2000 and has made significant changes to the youth minimum wage.

"This compares with the previous National government which froze the minimum wage at $7.00 an hour for three years.

"There is a strong labour market which can absorb these increases in the minimum wage," Carol Beaumont said. "In our submission we noted that unemployment kept falling even when there were significant increases in the youth minimum wage."

"The lousy deal for Australia is a reminder that our real interests lie with resumed multi-lateral negotiations" Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.He was commenting on the US Australia free trade agreement announced today.

"WTO rules and processes need a lot of improvement but they still hold the prospect for a much fairer outcome that one-sided bilaterals. "Ross Wilson said.

"New Zealand should pursue multi-lateral negotiations for the same reason that workers pursue collective bargaining" he said.

"Only by working collectively with other G20 countries can we hope to get a fair trade deal with countries like the United States."

"Despite the huge sacrifices the Australian Government has made, the much vaunted FTA with the USA reflects the gross inequality of bargaining power".

"I am disgusted that Don Brash is urging employers to discriminate against Maori workers when he clearly hasn't even read the Holidays Act," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The union submission to the review of the Employment Relations Act focused on protecting workers to ensure all sectors of society shared the benefits of strong economic growth, the Council of Trade Unions secretary, Carol Beaumont, said today.