Income inequality will accelerate significantly with the Government extending its 90 day “fire at will” law to every workplace and preventing unions organising in worksites, says Mangere MP Su’a William Sio, and will hurt Manukau communities the hardest.

“National’s introduction of the 90 day law was only the beginning of eroding workers rights and undermining their terms and conditions. John Key’s plan to extend the law to cover all workplaces confirms this is a true blue National Government,” Sua William Sio said.

“These are draconian measures that don’t belong in the Kiwi worksite where investing in workforce development will pay huge dividends for business as well as local communities.

“Pacific unemployment has doubled under National and now stands at 14.4%. That means there are just over 13,000 Pacific people out of work.

“The erosion of workers rights leads to increased unemployment, falling wages, and the loss of other terms and conditions such as holidays, sick leave etc.

“But this isn’t all. Combined with rising cost of living and a GST increase, the gap between the ‘haves and the have-nots’ will widen for the Mangere community where the median income is $20,600. 

“It makes me angry to know that some chief executive salaries now top the half-million mark while an unemployed person over 25 gets just $221.85 a week before tax, a sum lower in real terms than in 1991.”