Tony Teesdale doesn’t think too many people in the B:HIVE need to worry about something that has put New Zealand on the International Labour Organisation’s “bad country” list.
But the founder of Level One’s Teesdale and Associates says the NZ Government’s Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) policy has ruffled a few of his clients’ feathers.
The consummate professional, who hung out the company’s shingle in 2008, says he sits firmly on the fence when it comes to the rights and wrongs being bandied about by different sides of the political spectrum. He’s just trying to educate people about what happens if FPAs becomes law.
For now the policy is only at Bill stage, with the first reading in Parliament having been completed. The Bill now goes to Select Committee where interest groups’ lobbying becomes super charged.
However, Teesdale says even after some changes after the Parliamentary process the Minister in charge doesn’t expect to see anything come out in terms of a FPA before late 2023 or even 2024.
The technical process for even getting a FPA to the table is arduous under the current law and the Government has written that it retains control into its policy. But Teesdale say unions ( the CTU) have indicated they have a priority list that has people like cleaners at its top.
Meanwhile the FPAs have attracted the attention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Along with 21 other countries accused of labour breaches including discrimination, forced labour and child labour, New Zealand is deemed to have a case to answer regarding its intention to breach a fundamental labour convention which protects freedom of association.
BusinessNZ says New Zealand’s Fair Pay Agreements policy contravenes ILO Convention 98 by constituting an ‘act of interference’ in the affairs of workers and employers. It says businesses believe the compulsory nature of the Fair Pay Agreements policy constitutes interference and are also concerned at other sections of the policy which would limit the freedoms of workers and employers.
Asked for his opinion on that, Tony just laughs and says: “well it is not the first time the ILO has taken New Zealand to task.” And, he adds, there is a General Election before the end of 2023 that may change things too.