The Tertiary Education Union announced today that it has negotiated that any new staff hired at Massey University will not be subject to a ninety day fire-at-will provision.  Massey University has committed that, even if the government’s introduces its proposed new employment laws which deny workers their basic personal grievance rights in the first ninety days of work, those laws will not apply to staff at Massey University.

TEU deputy secretary Nanette Cormack said good employers shouldn’t have any need for the government’s proposed new laws.

“Good employers are willing to put the effort into advertising, interviews, training and management so they keep their staff for a long time not a few months.”

Ms Cormack said the proposed employment laws were pernicious, and had no place in a modern workplace like Massey University.

“Good employers already have the tools they need to give workers a chance, trial them and even dismiss them, without taking away basis employment rights. Workers don’t want these new laws and good employers don’t need them. Which raises the question who they are really for?”

“One of the things union members wanted from these negotiations was to keep their existing fair work rights. This result is the outcome of union members and employers doing what the usually do – working productively together for a better workplace,” said Ms Cormack.