10. DARIEN FENTON (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
Are her policies aspirational for New Zealand workers?
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour) Link to this
Absolutely. We are a Government that rewards hard work, effort, and success, rather than the previous Government’s relentless focus on mediocrity.
If the Minister is aspirational for New Zealand workers, why did her Government not support the development of an International Labour Organization convention to protect the rights of domestic workers?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
The Opposition has been somewhat mischievous. The New Zealand Government supported a recommendation rather than a convention, and that was the right procedural step to take.
When the Minister said, as her excuse for not supporting the convention, “the question is whether there is any point in another convention that would only be ignored …”, was she referring to that convention, which countries that sign up to it must actually implement, or to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the Prime Minister has described as aspirational rather than binding?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
In relation to the International Labour Organization convention for domestic workers, I am advised that there are already conventions that cover domestic workers, but they are ignored by the countries that exploit those workers’ labour. Developing another convention that would be ignored serves little purpose.
Why did she draft legislation that would enable employers to require workers to work for nothing during their unpaid meal breaks, and that would allow a muffin to replace a meal break or a rest break; is that one of her aspirational policies for New Zealand workers?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
The meal breaks legislation as drafted by the previous Government had provision for unpaid meal breaks. We followed that. The bill that is currently before the select committee makes it less prescriptive and more flexible. But I would expect proper scrutiny of it by the select committee to ensure that workers are not exploited.