12. Dr WAYNE MAPP (National—North Shore) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
Has she received any reports that the minimum wage legislation may not have been fully complied with in the activities covered by the Ingram report?
Maybe the Minister should do some reading. Does the Department of Labour plan to follow the suggestion of Dr Ingram, it being the “appropriately authorised authority”, to inquire whether the minimum wage regulations were breached, given that the Ingram report finds that Mr Field substantially underpaid Thai immigrants who were working to upgrade his numerous premises?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
I am advised that nothing in the Ingram report gives any concrete reason to believe that there are any issues around the minimum wage not being provided.
Can the Minister explain why the Department of Labour would not investigate breaches of New Zealand’s minimum wage laws in respect of work done at 51 Church Street, given Dr Ingram’s statement that he was “concerned by the unsatisfactory nature of the explanations provided” by Mr Field, and that Mr Field gave three different stories each of the three times he was questioned by Dr Ingram?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
The Minister is not responsible for the conduct of the inquiry. I am further advised that the department does not have jurisdiction to investigate the relationship between a principal and a contractor. As an example, New Zealanders engaging people to complete work on their houses, such as painters, do not normally enter into a direct employment relationship with the people providing the service.
Will the Minister ensure that the Department of Labour fully investigates breaches of employment law, given Dr Ingram’s finding that Mr Field’s story that his tenant would paint the interior of the house merely because she was a friend, as opposed to seeking immigration help from Mr Field, was a “highly unlikely, if not improbable, proposition.”?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
If any member has any evidence of an employment relationship in relation to this case, or breaches of the minimum wage, I would encourage them to provide this information to the department.
Does it now seem that the Minister does not even believe that breaches of the New Zealand law on minimum wages should be investigated, if it is the case that they involve a Labour member of Parliament?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
That suggestion is unworthy. I am advised that if the member has any information to put before the department or the Minister of Labour, it will be fully investigated. That member might be better off spending his time on marshalling evidence, rather than trying to drive down the minimum wage with a spurious bill that gives employers the right to fire within 90 days.