New Zealand’s controversial new employment law, which from March will allow small employers to fire staff at any time in their first 90 days of employment with no legal course of action available to workers, was passed today.

The law has been attacked by the organization of Filipino migrant workers. Spokesperson Dennis Maga said in a press release that the law will open the doors for further exploitation of a vulnerable section of the workforce.

Migrants often have a limited knowledge of their workplace rights and some employers are already taking advantage of this.
This is particularly true of employers in small workplaces like restaurants and fast food outlets, rest homes and mobile shops. We regularly get reports of small employers in these industries not following existing laws such as paying the minimum wage. They know that immigrants are more likely to seek another job so they can legally stay in New Zealand than mount a legal challenge.

Maga also expects that the 90 day Bill will also play on migrants fears of joining a union in case their employer withdraws their sponsorship for a work permit or residency. He called the law “a manipulative move to encourage a cheap and docile workforce” which “has nothing to do with improving opportunities for migrant workers”

While at present the law will only affect workers at firms with 20 or less staff, the National Government is already talking about extending its coverage. The documentation attached to the bill noted “Consideration could be given to evaluating the outcomes of this legislative change with a view to extending it to cover all employers in future.” Labor Minister Kate Wilkinson told The Dominion Post that the Government was open to such an extension.