Early on Sunday morning as most New Zealanders are just waking up, Prime Minister John Key will be announcing sweeping changes to employment relations laws during the National Party conference at the Sky City convention centre.

Documents leaked on Thursday revealed that Key will announce:

- the 90 day "no rights" trial period that presently applies to new workers in small businesses is going to be applied to all businesses, and

- the right of union members to see a union organiser in their workplace is going to be restricted so the organiser can only be there if the employer agrees.

You can watch TV3's coverage of National's plans for war on workers.

The changes will have a huge impact on Unite members and all low paid workers. The extension of the 90 day “fire at will” trial period will be used by bad employers and nasty, careless managers to exploit and marginalise the 400,000 workers who change jobs each year. It means that workers will get sacked for little or no reason. This will keep a huge chunk of the workforce scared of their employer and scared of moving jobs.

Removing the right of workers to speak with union organisers in their workplace is an attack on worker’s abilities to be treated fairly on the job. It will be used by bad employers to keep organisers from monitoring health and safety compliance, discussing wages and conditions with union members, and ensuring that staff are being treated fairly and having their work rights respected.

Every week Unite organisers visit workplaces where employers are not giving their staff rest breaks, paying their staff for all hours worked or have neglected to make sure their fast food restaurants air conditioning is working. By giving employers a right to refuse entry to union organisers, John Key is attempting to stop workers organising for better wages and fair conditions. It’ll allow the worst employers to drive down wages and conditions for employees and prevent low paid workers from effectively organising resistance.

But as the Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly says:

“Unfair dismissal changes are just the tip of the iceberg. There is now an accumulation of attacks on workers either already implemented or in the pipeline: cuts in ACC entitlement, meal breaks, changes to holiday entitlements, removal of rights to appeal against unfair dismissal, restricted access for workers to union officials, cuts in union education funding, axing the Pay and Employment Equity Unit – the list goes on. Show me one thing this Government has done positively to improve workers’ rights or conditions.”

The latest attacks are part of John Key and his government's plan to smash the union movement and steal your work rights. Unite and the rest of the CTU are already gearing up to fight and all workers should be worried about these changes.

Tommorrow (Sunday 18th July), as Key and his corporate cronies gather to announce an attack on workers at Sky City in Auckland, unionists across the country will be letting John Key know what we think of his plans:

Crash National’s Party
Protest John Key’s plan to slash our work rights
Sky City, Auckland
Cathedral Square, Christchurch
Sunday 18th July @ 10am