[APWSLMembers 246] Request for information from APWSL Aotearoa New Zealand about probationary workers

[John Maynard]

Dear APWSL friends

We hope you can help us with some information about workers' rights in your country.  

Does your country's labour law have a "probationary" period for new workers?  (A probationary period allows the manager to easily dismiss a new worker before 90 days or 120 days - or maybe even a longer time).  

At present New Zealand labour law gives protection to all workers, including casual, temporary and part-time workers.   Employers can hire probationary workers, but the employer cannot dismiss probationary workers unfairly. 

However a member of the right wing opposition National Party in the New Zealand Parliament wants to make a change to the labour law.  

The change to the law would take away the protection of the labour law for all workers in the first 90 days of a new job.  

The National Party says the new law will help increase employment opportunities. However unemployment in New Zealand has been going down in the last few years.

New workers could be dismissed for joining a union, for asking about their rights, or for having time off for being sick. They could be dismissed  for no reason - and given no reason for their dismissal.

Every worker who changed to a new job would have no protection for the first 90 days of their new job. 

APWSL Aotearoa/New Zealand wants to join with unions and other NGOs and make a submission to the New Zealand Parliament opposing the new law proposal.   

Because APWSL is a network of workers and trade union activists in the Asia Pacific region,  we want to give examples of what happens to probationary workers in other countries in our region.  (Workers' rights in our region is becoming more of an issue as the New Zealand Government negotiates a number of Free Trade Agreements with other countries).

The Labour Government has only a small majority of seats in the New Zealand Parliament, so we are worried that this proposal could become a new law.

If you can help, can you please send an email with one or two examples or some information about probationary workers in your country to us before 15 May.   One or two short examples will be OK.  

By giving examples from other countries, this will help us very much in preparing our submission to the New Zealand Parliament.

In international solidarity and friendship,

John Maynard and Carol Bridgens
APWSL Aotearoa/New Zealand
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