""The biggest challenge facing New Zealand today is to improve living standards by lifting wages and productivity," EPMU national secretary Andrew Little said today."

This shows the completely ridiculous understanding of most union leaders because of it's context. 

""Strong work rights give security and a basic level of fairness to New Zealand workers and are an essential condition for lifting wages and living standards."

This is where Andrew fails to understand the real world.

Protecting slack lazy wankers who think everything should be handed on a silver platter does no one any favours.  Small business should be able to drop these type of workers as soon as it becomes apparent the worker is a lay about.  By not allowing small business this right; it impacts harder working more productive staff because to much productivity and money is lost on the fuckwits.  It prevents wage rises for those who deserve them.

New Zealand is in the bottom third of OECD countries based on GDP per Hour.  Yet we work the longest hours!

It is a known statistic that in any give day; after 8 hours your productivity reduces by 25% less.  Hit 12 hours and your are at 50% of your usual productivity.  If you are undertaking work with machines you are at risk because you are now behaving as if you had had three alchoholic drinks.

Small business in New Zealand struggle with producivity because they try to go it alone.  The fundemental reason for this is labour laws in New Zealand.

If I hire someone who at facevalue looks good; but it becomes apparant they don't have the skills or attitude to be a productive member of staff, it should be well within my rights as a small business to get rid of that person within the first 90 days.

Why?  Because if I don't, I might not just have to let them go, I might have to let all the other employees go.  I certainly won't be able to give pay rises to those who deserve them.

Is it up to the employer to "teach" basic skills like how to be polite; on time; undertake quality work.

No.  We are their to teach them how to do the job they are hired to do, not how to work.

If they do their job, are productive and have a work ethic, they have nothing to fear from this proposed change.

Complaints about dropping wages sits squarley with a complete lack of understanding of the small business model this proposed change is targeted at.  We can't raise wages if we have slack and unproductive staff.  New Zealand can't climb the ranking of productivity and become a rich country again until our workforce become more productive.

For all these union leaders who disagree - how about you go and try and run a small business with lazy or incompetent staff and see how hard it is to get rid of them without a law suit.

Employers are not there to wipe employee's arses.  Current law states otherwise and needs to change.