Greens drag New Zealand back to compulsory unionism

ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar is condemning the Green Party's plan to make union membership the default for new workers, saying it replaces free choice with Government coercion.

"The Greens want to tilt the balance against free choice," says Dr Parmar.

"They call it ‘automatic membership’. In plain English, it means the state enrols you in a union unless you opt out. That is the Government using the law to push people into an organisation they never chose to join.

"If unions want more members, they should convince workers that membership is worthwhile. They should not need the Government to sign people up for them.

"Under the Green Party's proposed Employment Relations (Automatic Union Membership) Amendment Bill, employers would be required to automatically enrol new staff into a default union where a collective agreement applies, notify the union before the worker starts, hand over the worker's contact details, and provide information about the collective agreement. Employers who fail to comply could face penalties. Workers could resign from the union, but free choice would no longer be the starting point.

"New Zealand has already tried this approach, twice.

"Compulsory union membership is not a bold new idea. It is a throwback to the 20th Century.

"It was introduced by Labour in 1936, abolished in 1983, brought back in 1985, and finally ended in 1991. The Greens want to drag New Zealand back to a system that treated workers as union property first and free individuals second.

"Ending free choice does not strengthen workers. It strengthens unions. And unions are major third-party funders of the political left. When a party proposes using the law to boost union membership, New Zealanders are entitled to ask whose interests are really being served.

"ACT has also drafted legislation to end the requirement for employers to collect union membership fees. Employers should be running businesses, not acting as unpaid administrators for union fundraising.

"Workers should join a union because it offers value, not because the law enrols them by default and hopes they never get around to opting out.

"Free choice is the foundation of a free country. The Greens want to take that away."

Note to editors:

A bill prepared by Dr Parmar removes the requirement for employers to collect union dues.