REAL WORK REAL JOBS

Nearly a third of Kiwi workers are in insecure work. They’re often denied the basic rights afforded to permanent employees under the law. Things like guaranteed hours, the minimum wage, sick leave, and the ability to join a union and collectively bargain better terms and conditions.

A lack of job security is detrimental to workers and their families. They often don’t know when they’ll be working, how much they’ll be earning or whether they’ll be able to pay their bills from week to week. Meanwhile, the companies involved are profiting as a direct result.

With the rise of the gig economy, more and more Kiwis are working for companies like Uber that deliberately misclassify them as contractors. App-based or platform workers often earn below the minimum wage and can have their employment ‘deactivated’ at any time, without a fair process.

We are calling on the New Zealand Government to close the legal loopholes that allow for the exploitation of contractors and labour-hire workers.

Where the work is real, the jobs should be too.