P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K
EMA WARNS: PRODUCTIVITY KEY
TO PREVENTING ‘NEW NORM’ STRIKE ACTION
Beep, beeeep, beeeep, beep… blared from
my ute’s horn as I enthusiastically blasted it
out and, simultaneously, revved the striking
nurses up that were stationed along Wairau
Road, not far from their North Shore hospital.
Placards brandished and unison in chant, they
fanned in and away in front of me as I passed
– arms and messages of equality raised
toward the sky and to my windscreen - as I
crept in Auckland morning traffic. I felt like I
was wearing polka dot and leading the climb
in the Pyrenees.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO)
had voted in favour of nationwide strikes over
pay and staffing concerns and had stopped
working for 24 hours.
My ‘right-behind-you-and-some’ beeping was
heart felt.
Having had recent personal experience that
has me fully appreciative of the role nurses
and healthcare workers play through my
partner’s cancer and subsequent passing,
I know full well that our country’s spending
is well and truly mixed up and often with
priorities in wrong places. How much did that
flag debate cost us? Just one of many over
the years.
The ‘devalued’ feeling in this country is not
just isolated to nurses. In a number of gender
dominated industries, the irks and agonies
are surfacing through the cracks. The perfect
example is the flipside of what nurses are
facing in what is a heavily female dominated
industry, to female lawyers failing to garner
pay equality in their male-dominated sector.
Whether you agree or disagree with the
nurses for their strike action, they are one
of many segments raising placards, or
threatening to, at present. Currently there’s
regular reports of strike action being taken
for a number of reasons, or proposed, and
the Employers and Manufacturers Association
(EMA) is revving up communication at worries
of the ‘new norm of industrial relations’.
"We don’t want to see a return to a ‘them and
us’ mentality. What we want is a framework
that promotes productive employment relationships,"
says Kim Campbell, ceo, EMA.
"Strikes are costly - for both workers and
businesses - and are the last resort. A
negotiated settlement is preferable rather
than a strike. Given the proposed changes
in employment legislation, it is concerning
that the current industrial action may well be
providing a realistic view of what the future
holds," says Mr Campbell.
Mr Campbell believes we are tackling the
fallout not the problem. He goes on to say
that the fundamental requirement to drive
wage growth is for New Zealand’s productivity
to rise. Hallelujah, I say.
Recently, according to the EMA, the
Productivity Commission’s economics and
research director Paul Conway reported that
the hours worked per capita in New Zealand
are the highest in the OECD, but the value
produced from the New Zealand labour force is
the lowest. The EMA says that wages are lower
than other OECD countries because our productivity
is lower.
I’m sure Mr Campbell would be the first to
agree that these comments don’t help those
who find themselves at the lower end of the
wage spectrum and facing rising bills and
costs. But they do highlight a need to fix what
is a problem.
"Which is why the EMA is asking Government
MPs to please explain how the proposed
changes to industrial relations will deliver to the
stated aim of driving a productive, sustainable
and inclusive economy.
"We see no evidence that anything in the
suggested amendments will make one iota
of difference to driving long-term productivity
growth. It would seem logical to have this
debate first, such as in the yet to convene
Future of Work Forum, before charging ahead
with changing our current employment law.
"We’ve seen the current coalition deliver
pragmatic changes to some policies, and we’re
appealing for the same sensible approach
here," says Mr Campbell.
Greg Robertson
Publisher
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