Month: June 2025

E tū has joined thousands of New Zealanders in making a submission against the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill, warning it would hand unprecedented power to corporations, strip away public protections, and undermine te Tiriti o Waitangi.

E tū President Gadiel Asiata says the legislation poses a serious threat to workers’ rights and equity.

“I believe that the Regulatory Standards Bill risks undermining the rights and safety of all our workers,” Gadiel says.

“This legislation jeopardises the protections that ensure fair treatment and safe working conditions for our communities. We must stand up for our workers’ rights and advocate for policies that respect our cultural values and ensure dignity at work. I cannot support a bill that threatens the well-being and fair treatment of workers who deserve to work in safe and respectful environments.”

E tū’s submission raises serious concerns about the Bill. Originally drafted decades ago and repeatedly rejected, the Bill has now been revived through the ACT-National coalition agreement, despite having no public mandate and only vague wording in the agreement itself.

The union says the Bill would:

• Allow corporations to claim compensation for laws that affect their profits, including public health or environmental regulations
• Redefine “individual rights” to include large companies, giving them more legal power to challenge democratic decisions
• Undermine protections for Māori, with no reference to te Tiriti o Waitangi and no requirement for Māori voices on the regulatory board
• Shift power away from Parliament and into the hands of a Minister-appointed board, with no democratic safeguards

“This is about corporate rights, not human rights,” Gadiel says.

“It risks locking future governments into a framework that prioritises profit over people, and could cost communities and taxpayers dearly.”

E tū is particularly concerned about the impact on Māori, Pasifika, disabled, and low-income whānau. The Bill could restrict targeted support or equity measures by enforcing a rigid standard of “equality before the law,” a standard that ignores the reality of structural disadvantage.

“This Bill could stop us from addressing inequities in health, education, and employment,” Gadiel says.

“It could block future governments from delivering the very support that marginalised communities need to thrive.”

E tū is calling on the Government to listen to the overwhelming opposition and withdraw the Bill.

“There is no public appetite for this. E tū members stand with thousands of others calling for it to be scrapped. We need a Government that strengthens democracy, not one that rewrites the rules to suit big business.”

E tū is condemning the Government’s new employment law proposals as the worst attack on workers’ rights in a generation, warning they will entrench low pay and precarious work across many industries.

The most dangerous change is a rewrite of the law that determines whether a worker is an employee or a contractor. E tū says this would make it harder for exploited workers to challenge unfair contracts and win the rights they are legally entitled to.

“This is a blatant attempt to tilt the playing field even further towards the already powerful,” says E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh.

“It looks like it could have been written by Uber’s lawyers. It threatens the rights of thousands of people in gig work, across industries like courier delivery, cleaning, security, construction, and labour hire.”

Under the current law, workers can challenge their employment status in court. That means if someone is treated like an employee but labelled a contractor – to avoid paying them sick leave and the minimum wage, for example – they can have that arrangement overturned.

E tū and Workers First Union previously used this process to win a landmark court case proving Uber drivers are employees. Rachel warns the proposed changes will slam the door shut on similar cases in future.

“This bill turns the clock back. It gives employers more power to dictate terms, and denies workers a fair shot at justice.”

Rachel says the proposed changes could have devastating consequences for a growing group of vulnerable workers.

“We have members who work regular hours, wear a company uniform, drive a branded van, and answer to a manager – but they’re told they’re not employees, so they miss out on basic rights like holiday pay and protection from unfair dismissal.”

Rachel says the proposal reflects a dangerous ideological agenda.

The bill also attacks other long-standing protections. It removes the right for new workers to automatically be offered union-negotiated terms for their first 30 days. It puts a cap on remedies for personal grievances, meaning even serious mistreatment might attract only a token payout. And it waters down the definition of unjustified dismissal, making it easier for employers to sack workers without proper process.

“These aren’t minor tweaks – they are a systematic dismantling of rights that generations of workers have fought for,” Rachel says.

“E tū will be fighting every step of the way to stop this bill. Every worker deserves a fair go, and the ability to stand up against exploitation when it happens.”