"Fire at will" could put new Super City staff under the hammer

Thousands of Aucklanders due to enter into new work contracts with the Super city in November could find themselves denied employment rights under the Government's new fire at will law, Labour's Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford said today.

“The law will subject workers in new employment contracts to a three month period in which they could be sacked for no good reason, and denied normal legal redress,” Phil Twyford said.

“6000 staff are about to be taken on by the new Auckland Council. They could find themselves subject to this new law and stripped of their employment rights for 90 days.

“I asked Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson in Parliament today if she expected this to happen. She replied that my question showed ignorance because her trial period relates only to new employees, not existing ones.

“I have news for the Minister. The Auckland Council is a new council from November 1. All of its staff, even those with terms and conditions carried over from the old councils, will be employed on new contracts with their new employer.

“The fact that 6000 employees could be subjected to the 90 day period at the stroke of a pen, shows how daft and damaging the Government’s policy is, even if the Minister doesn’t know it.”