Compulsory unionism – no way

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Employers are totally opposed to any return to compulsory union membership, says Business NZ.

The engineers’ union today said non-union members were freeloading on the conditions gained by unions, and called for a change to the Employment Relations Act to require everyone at a workplace with a collective agreement to be forced to join a union.

But Business NZ Executive Director Anne Knowles says that would be the same thing as compulsory unionism and New Zealanders would not stand for it.

“The principle of freedom of association - which the Employment Relations Act is built on - must be maintained.

“This is an ominous signal of what the union movement wants from the forthcoming review of the Employment Relations Act,” Ms Knowles said.