Damien Grant: Unions selfish in 90 day protests

The pizza delivery guy supports the law change. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Opinion

During the debate around the 90-day legislation, the Prime Minister made a comment concerning the opinion of the man who delivered his pizza.

The pizza delivery guy (at 36 we cannot call him a boy) was Sanjay Kumar and, according to media reports, he has a master's degree in zoology, among other skills. He wants a better job.

The problem is, how do we know if he is any good?

Under the current law, a firm with more than 20 staff might be stuck with a bad employment decision.

Laws that make it hard to sack people make employers nervous.

They think it's better to employ the young Kiwi kid with average grades, who they know will do an okay job, rather than the 30-something new immigrant who might be excellent.

Giving employers the freedom to fire no-hopers within the first 90 days means more employers will give new migrants and the untested a job. It is a change that will help the marginalised in our community.

It is why the pizza delivery guy supports the law change.

We have all heard of the law of unintended consequences.

The idea is that a law to help the poor often ends up hurting them.

Raising the minimum wage was shown by Dr Gail Pacheco from AUT University to reduce significantly the amount of hours worked by Maori who earned the minimum wage.

Therefore, raising it could potentially put less money in the pockets of the most vulnerable in our community.

So, why do it?

Raising the minimum wage or making it hard to fire new workers means employers will be more cautious.

This favours the children and housewives of the middle class.

These people vote, belong to unions and will even join a protest march.

Unions represent people with jobs.

It makes sense for them to oppose laws that make it easier for employers to hire people who might replace them.

Restrictive labour laws make it difficult for the marginal and vulnerable in our community to get a foot up on the economic ladder.

These laws help people who are already a rung or two up. They are anxious to maintain a hierarchy that has people like Kumar delivering them pizza.

The consequences are not unintended. People act in their own self-interest.

The change in the law may or may not reduce unemployment but it will mean better people will end up getting the jobs, and some of those people may come from South East Asia.

If this upsets you, join a union.