Yesterday, the CTU publicly called for a return to centralised wage bargaining. Max Whitehead, CEO of Small Business Voice, says they have made their motivation for pushing for pay equity clear: The CTU thinks one shoe fits all employees.

“The unions are out of date and no longer relevant, despite having infiltrated Parliament and introduced a myriad of overzealous employment laws,” says Mr. Whitehead.

Mr. Whitehead says the unions’ overzealous laws are so difficult to handle that employers have spent the last ten years removing employees and replacing them with self-employed contractors. Consequently, New Zealand has become a nation of contractors and small employers. In fact, today, less than 4% of NZ enterprises employ more than 20 employees.

“Unions are now barely relevant because they focus on big employers. “Richard Wagstaff, who replaced Helen Kelly, is desperately trying to turn things around, but unfortunately, it is too late.”

Mr. Whitehead acknowledges that unions have at times played a positive role in the workplace. However, he says their lust for power has cost them.

“If Unions had have adopted a more moderate approach, they may have remained relevant.”

Mr. Whitehead says that today's jobs are more diverse and very different from in the past, so trying to impose one wage on them all is verging on ridiculous.

“Centuries ago, Prince Charming proved that one shoe does not fit all, so why do the unions think otherwise."

|  A Small Business Voice release   ||   April 24,2017   |||