The Employment Relations Authority’s determination that the Ministry of Education failed to comply with their workers’ collective agreement when cutting jobs sends a strong message that workers’ rights must be upheld, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff.
“The Government’s reckless attack on public services and workers has been brutal, and aspects of it have now been deemed unlawful,” said Wagstaff.
“We welcome this decision from the Employment Relations Authority, as it shows that government departments can’t just get away with ignoring their obligations to their workers.
“The directive from cabinet ministers to public service departments to make sweeping cuts to workforces has directly led to this disregard for worker’s rights and conditions.
“The Government’s rush to axe jobs has been indiscriminate – workers should be retained when public services are already struggling to keep up with demand.
“Working people deserve respect and dignity, and for their rights to be upheld. Collective agreements must not be ignored in pursuit of the Government’s ideological agenda.
“We congratulate the PSA for taking this case and fighting to uphold the rights and dignity of their members in the public service.
“This decision sends a strong message that employers must uphold their agreements with workers and not rush ahead with indiscriminate job cuts,” said Wagstaff.