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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear APWSL friends</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We hope you can help us with some information about
workers' rights in your country. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>However a member of the right wing
opposition National Party in the New Zealand Parliament wants to make a
change to the labour law. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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. </FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Every worker who changed to a new job would have no protection for the
first 90 days of their new job. </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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
t</FONT>he New Zealand Government negotiates a number of Free Trade Agreements
with other countries).</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>By giving examples from other countries, this will
help us very much in preparing our submission to the New Zealand
Parliament.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In international solidarity and
friendship,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>John Maynard and Carol Bridgens</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>APWSL Aotearoa/New
Zealand</FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>