Source: PSA
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon must take action on Minister for Workplace Relations Brooke Van Velden’s political interference in the Employment Relations Authority, says the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The call follows media reports today that Attorney-General Judith Collins spoke with Van Velden after the Minister said her four new appointees to the Authority should offer smaller awards to workers and criticised current members for being too generous to wronged workers.
PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said it is significant that the Attorney-General has intervened, but given Van Velden’s inadequate response the Prime Minister must now act to uphold Ministerial standards and restore faith in the Employment Relations Authority.
“Brooke Van Velden’s political interference in the Employment Relations Authority is corrosive to the rule of law and undermines workers’ rights to a fair hearing.
“Judith Collins KC is a senior lawyer and would recognise that the comments were totally inappropriate. However, the Minister’s response today is inadequate – she has not admitted she was wrong or apologised.
“Today, the PSA has written to the Prime Minister outlining our concerns. The Minister’s comments breach the Cabinet Manual’s requirements that Ministers respect the independence of statutory bodies.
“The Prime Minister must send a clear message about the standards he expects of his Ministers and make clear that the Employment Relations Authority will follow the law, not the political whims of Ministers,” Fitzsimons said.
