By DITA DE BONI
The country's largest union wants the Government to relieve financial pressure on households in return for workers' restraint in future wage negotiations.
Speaking to a crowd of almost 400 employers yesterday, the New Zealand Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union's national secretary, Andrew Little, called for the Government to become involved in maintaining reasonable wages for its 50,000 members.
"The union accepts that the social wage is an important part of the policy framework, and we are entitled to expect some offsets for wage sacrifices felt by working people," he said.
"The Government will need to be clear about what it's doing in areas of education, health and elsewhere to make those services fully accessible."
In a speech geared towards highlighting the common aims of economic sustainability and profitability between unions and employers, Mr Little said wage increases pegged to productivity improvements were "fully justifiable without creating pressure on the rate of inflation."
He urged the Reserve Bank not to let the high price of oil damage the economy.
"The union expects the Reserve Bank to recognise our responsible approach and to take it into account," he said.
"In particular, we do not accept that the bank should respond to the external price shocks simply with its policies of the past."
Mr Little then discussed contentious issues from the Employment Relations Act, which will come into effect on October 2.
Most importantly, he said, the concept of good faith - which many employers have long felt could disadvantage them at the bargaining table - meant fundamentally that in negotiations there should be "no surprises" between parties.
While the Employers Federation and Council of Trade Unions were in talks over a code to measure a fair interpretation of "good faith," outstanding problems between parties over the concept would be referred to an independent reviewer - paid for by the party claiming financial sensitivity.
This person would decide whether information should be kept confidential.
The concept of discrimination would be broadened to include employment terms that survive termination (for example, a preference for re-employment), grounds in the Human Rights Act, and grounds of union involvement.
"It is important for employers to realise that in an environment of voluntary unionism, the union is not a third-party interloper," Mr Little said.
"There have been a lot of lies and propaganda about the Employment Relations Act - we're concerned about the effect this has had on business and want to put it right."
A union spokesman at the gathering said the meetings were being held in response to demand from employers, and would extend into a range of public forums to be held before the Employment Relations Act became law.
Govt must help too, top union tells bosses
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