We have not seen the decimation of workers’ wages, rights and benefits as under the current government for at least thirty years. Even safety regulations to ensure our workers return home safely from work have been weakened. Pike River families described their talks with Minister Brooke Van Velden, “A complete waste of time. She seemed to be focusing all the time on the employers”. Workers from minimum wage to the highest, women, all are adversely impacted. We have a Workplace Relations Minister and a Prime Minister who refuse to even meet up with workers’ representatives.

The attacks are continuing, with the latest being an assault on employment status for workers in insecure jobs like Uber drivers. All this at a time when Kiwis are fleeing the country at a record pace, especially to Australia, where workers are paid and treated much better. While we look to a future where Artificial Intelligence threatens to disrupt workplaces and displace workers significantly, protections for workers are completely missing from the government’s AI Policy.

The government’s intentions were clear from the start, with the first 100-day plan splattered with polices rolling back employee rights.

Weakening Unions

One of the government’s first actions was to scrap Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs), which promoted sector-wide bargaining to set minimum pay and conditions for entire industries. This left vulnerable workers in low waged jobs like cleaning, security, and bus driving in a weak position to bargain with individual employers and lift base conditions. The 30-day rule for new employees to be employed on terms consistent with the relevant collective agreement for their first 30 days was scrapped. This made it easier for employers to start new hires on individual contracts, even in unionised workplaces.

Reduction in Job Security

90-day trial periods that allowed employers to dismiss new workers without reason, previously available only to businesses with fewer than 20 staff, were extended to all employers. Contractor “Gateway Test” has been introduced to prevent workers who are more casual (not compelled to work on request, etc.) from challenging their employment status.  Workers like Uber drivers, who won court cases to be classified as employees, will now be classified as contractors without employment benefits.

Health and Safety

The government has exempted small, “low-risk” businesses from certain health and safety requirements, focusing them only on “critical risks.” Safety risks have been further heightened by the slashing of more than 150 staff at WorkSafe NZ.

Wages

Minimum wage increases have been below inflation over the past two years, resulting in a cut to real wages amid a cost-of-living crisis that also affects workers earning near the minimum wage. Government contractors are no longer required to pay the Living Wage, a blow to workers like cleaners, security guards, and caterers.

Equal Pay / Pay Equity

Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025, which raised the threshold for proving historically undervalued work in pay equity cases and worse, retroactively. This change resulted in existing claims under negotiation for years and some very close to fruition being dropped, making it harder for new claims to succeed, potentially affecting tens of thousands of mainly female-dominated workplaces.

High-Income Threshold for Dismissal Claims: A new threshold (set around $180,000) prevents high earners from raising “unjustified dismissal” claims. The rationale is that these workers have sufficient bargaining power to negotiate their own exit terms, but that doing so would remove a fundamental statutory right.

Apprenticeship Boost

The highly successful $500 monthly incentive payment for employers to hire apprentices was limited to the first year and to a few targeted industry areas.

Public Sector Jobs

The government’s slashing of public sector jobs has resulted in the loss of 10,000 jobs in the Wellington region.

Luxon once called low-wage earners, hardworking Kiwis struggling to survive, “bottom feeders.” That contempt is reflected in the coalition’s policies. The plight of workers, especially those on low wages, already weakened, will worsen further if the coalition wins another term. Our workers have a choice to make.