Labour has hit out against Prime Minister Bill English over his comments that some Kiwi workers were not applying for jobs in industries with skills shortages due to requirements for them to undertake drugs tests.
Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson said the PM's comments indicated the government had no plan to provide job opportunities in the regions.
He pointed to Labour's three-year free tertiary education/training policy and a promise to put $200m towards regional development if elected on 23 September. See Labour's announced policies here.
English yesterday said he was hearing from businesses two-to-three times a week that locals were not applying for certain jobs due to requirements for them to pass a drugs test. In turn, this raised demand for migrant labour, he said following data showing net migration to New Zealand hit another record in the year to January 2016.
Later on Tuesday, the government announced the release of a "new online resource designed to help young people enter the workforce."
“Getting the job and career you want means having the right attributes and behaviours to accompany your qualifications and educational achievements," Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith said. "An example of this is the need for resilience in the rapidly changing world of work. Employees need to be able to handle challenges and setbacks in the workplace and seek the support they need to grow." See more below.
'Immigration adds value to NZ'
Meanwhile, United Future leader Peter Dunne entered the migration side of the debate, calling for calm over the politicking of the issue.
“We need to remember that the vast majority of people who come into this country are on temporary visas as students, holiday-makers or involved in short term work in key areas such as the Canterbury rebuild," Dunne said Tuesday afternoon.
"Making the unsubstantiated link between low wages and immigration ignores the reality that there has been increased wage growth as a result of a strong economy with low inflation and low interest rates and with a higher participation rate than ever before.
"Immigration adds enormous value to New Zealand through the direct economic benefit we gain from it, by increasing our skills base and through the exchange of ideas and culture," he said.
See Robertson's full comments below:
Bill English’s diversionary tactic of condemning of a generation of Kiwi workers as a bunch of drug-takers cannot hide his government’s failure to create opportunities for decent work, says Labour’s Employment spokesperson Grant Robertson.
“In his pathetic defence of his Government’s failing immigration policy, the Prime Minister has managed to condemn a generation of Kiwi workers as druggies. Previously, Bill English has called young workers lazy and hopeless.
“Making it worse, Bill English has admitted his sweeping generalisations are based on anecdotes rather than any evidence or hard facts.
“New Zealanders might get the impression that Bill English is the one on mind altering drugs, given the facts about how National has let down workers and young people over the last eight years.
“There are 140,000 people unemployed in New Zealand, up 37,000 since National took office. There are 90,000 15-24 year olds not in employment, education or training up 27,000 since National took office. Long term unemployed (more than six months) has nearly tripled to 44,000.
“Kiwis are earning less under National. Average ordinary time wages fell in the last quarter, 45 per cent of Kiwis did not get a pay rise last year and, of those that did, 67 per cent got a pay-rise of less than two per cent.
“National has no plan to provide opportunities in our regions. Unemployment rose in the last quarter in Otago, Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui, Taranaki, Gisborne-Hawkes Bay, Waikato, and Tasman-Nelson-Marlborough-West Coast.
“Labour has a plan. What Labour will also do is help young people into training with our three years free policy, and provide better work opportunities throughout New Zealand.
“Our $200 million regional economic development fund will deliver opportunities for decent work right around New Zealand. We have already announced plans for Dunedin’s IT gaming industry and Gisborne’s timber processing industry under a Labour-led Government, and there will be more to come,” says Grant Robertson.
See the government's release on its new online resource for helping young people enter the workforce below:
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Education Minister Louise Upston have today announced the release of a new online resource designed to help young people enter the workforce.
The Employability Skills Framework clearly sets out the key behaviours, attitudes and personal qualities employers say are essential for getting and keeping a job.
“Getting the job and career you want means having the right attributes and behaviours to accompany your qualifications and educational achievements. An example of this is the need for resilience in the rapidly changing world of work. Employees need to be able to handle challenges and setbacks in the workplace and seek the support they need to grow,” says Mr Goldsmith.
“The framework was designed by representatives from industry, education and government. It outlines the employability skills and competencies that help young people adapt to life in the workforce. It complements the National Curriculum for schools, and has been user-tested with groups of employers, educators and secondary students,” he says.
“This guide will be a great resource that will help young people, their teachers, family and whānau. It will help young people get work-ready,” Ms Upston says.
“The new framework has been developed to complement other resources, such as those Careers NZ makes available on its website to help young people moving from study into the workforce, and the 2017 Occupation Outlook.”
“The new framework is a great example of successful collaboration. The Pathways Advisory Group, which developed the guide, encompasses outlooks and experience from several sectors, and I am grateful to all those who contributed,” Mr Goldsmith says.
More information about the resource and how to use it can be found atwww.youthguarantee.net.nz and www.careers.govt.nz.
Read United Future leader Peter Dunne's comments on migration below:
Recent reported numbers on immigration into New Zealand should not be used by political parties to make policy on the fly, says UnitedFuture leader, Hon Peter Dunne.
"Over the past year we have seen increasing numbers of immigrants which has led some to embrace the politics of xenophobia and division.
“Every time a new immigration statistic is published, Labour in particular overreacts – invariably incorrectly identifying the problems, and never offering a positive solution.
“Immigration is an area where people need to be put at the heart of policy making, not inflammatory politicking,” said Mr Dunne.
“That means political parties need to come up with clear and considered policy and not treat immigration like a political piñata without regard for the people and families that are affected.
“We need to remember that the vast majority of people who come into this country are on temporary visas as students, holiday-makers or involved in short term work in key areas such as the Canterbury rebuild.
"Making the unsubstantiated link between low wages and immigration ignores the reality that there has been increased wage growth as a result of a strong economy with low inflation and low interest rates and with a higher participation rate than ever before.
"Immigration adds enormous value to New Zealand through the direct economic benefit we gain from it, by increasing our skills base and through the exchange of ideas and culture.
"When people ask what it is UnitedFuture stands for it is this - we stand for an open, tolerant and unified New Zealand, one where a person can come here, fill a skill gap, join a community and raise a family without the fear of them or their families being used as a political football when there a better and more obvious answers to the problems facing New Zealand,” Mr Dunne concluded.
65 Comments
True. National has been reading pages out of the age-old "trickle down" economics book for the better part since 2008. Time to put the book back where it rightly belongs - in the trash!
How many more attempts will it take for governments around the world to completely abandon such ridiculous economic systems.
All this reminds me of Einstein's definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result".
This morning on National radio we heard from the company that conducts the pre-employment drug tests that only 5% test positive. That makes complete nonsense of what Bill English is claiming and exposes the desperate sort of lies that they will try to spin, to justify this crazy level of immigration.
Please stop and reflect a moment before abusing our PM. What he said is quite correct.
He is a man of great integrity and capability and does not set out to lie.
One of the reasons for our strong immigration figures is the highly desirable nature of our economy from an outsiders perspective - they do not see our PM as you may do and are prepared to vote with their feet.
Simple fact is both statements are correct - issue is that those who are on drugs don't bother to do the test. That's why they remain unemployed !
Of those that do - then only 5% fail.
The big question is why does he hate New Zealanders so much. Shouldn't he, as the PM, being trying to help these people "get off drugs" and be employed. It would certainly help increase inflation. Not to mention the 11.1% youth unemployment rate could be brought down. Why are we importing workers when there are plenty of young people that could be working?
No JB, both you and the PM are talking crap.
Here are the facts - of those tested via WINZ, 1.7% fail. And the WINZ testing is mandatory - refuse it or fail it and unemployment benefits can be sanctioned (withdrawn). In the 2015 year - WINZ arranged for 31,791 tests - 55 resulting in a sanction - 1.7%.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-r…
So you cannot remain unemployed by not bothering to do tests - they are mandatory if you are referred to a job that requires one.
The 5% fail rate, as reported on National Radio, relates to the overall job applicants (both WINZ referrals and other/direct employer referrals. BUT IT'S STILL ONLY 5%.
A few questions.
Are these tests at random? or,
are they told in advance of when the test will be?
How strict is the testing?
I ask the last question because I have been involved in numerous types of testing.
From, "heres a cup, there's the toilet". Through to two independent testers picking you up, taking you to a special testing area, never letting you leave their sight, and both watching it come out into the cup
I think all points above are important - my own experience shows that those told in advance generally have much lower fail rates, than where testing is at random. Conversely properly supervised testing has higher fail rates, than people left to their own devices in the loo.
So if they are being told in advance, then barely being monitored, my suspicion is that a lot more would/should be failing than are actually being reported.
Oh for goodness sake. How intrusive do we need to be? Total nitpicking (fussy or pedantic fault-finding).
The point is the PM lied about NZ youth - and unfortunately no amount of him pissing in a bottle is going to detect that or put right his disgraceful slur on an entire generation of NZers.
"How intrusive do we need to be?"
I think that depends on how seriously you want to tackle the drug problem plaguing the nation.
Did the PM lie? I don't think he lied outright (at least on this issue). Interpreting stats in his own way maybe, but hey that is what politicians do.
Anecdotally the evidence is there to show that drug testing is putting off workers. I have seen enough first hand.
A good comparison would be the drug driving stats. How many people are getting found out that way?
Well the NZ Drug Foundation's sole aim is to tackle the drug problem - and they are furious over the misrepresentation and dogwhistling tactics of Bill English - check out their twitter feed;
https://twitter.com/nzdrug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
One of my favourites is this tweet:
You know what is a real barrier to getting work for some young people? A criminal conviction for drug possession/social supply.
Meaning, I assume, that they are in favour of decriminalisation of marijuana possession/social supply in particular. Most experts are.
If you don't want to read their twitter feed - here they are quoted in a media article:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/89876945/bill-english-claims-a…
Yeah sure its 5%, like its only 3% of people buying all the houses are Chinese. If you know your taking drugs you don't do the test. It was on the radio this morning that it was known that a huge number of people at the meat works were on drugs but if they didn't keep them working there would be no one to do the work. Your totally underestimating the scale of the problem and in certain industries its rife.
There are only a couple of differences between now and a few decades ago, one is drug testing itself, the other is "P" everything else is pretty much as it has always been, in truth, alcohol use probably made it worse then. I can't be bothered with the sanctimoniousness about people who indulge and working, hinting that things are much worse today and that people are lazier than they were. It was just that back then, you got away with it.
So 5% test positive for drug use. Thats a high figure and unacceptable and reveals a big problem for a lot of people. Saying önly" 5% shows the point is being missed. And you have to know that most of the people who won't pass the test don't take the test and don't proceed with their job application. So the real percentage is much higher.
People are indeed telling Bill about this drug use frequently, and he is simply reporting it. The criticisms of Bill on this one are criticisms looking for a reason.
You could look at the 0.27% of beneficiaries testing positive. Maybe hiring from a pool of unemployed people that can't afford drugs would be a better option for potential employees?
https://thestandard.org.nz/paula-bennett-wastes-taxpayers-money-on-drug…
Its the prohibition of drugs and how we deal with it that is the problem. We have created the issue by making it illegal. it never use to be and is not in more enlightened places like Portugal. The whole drugs is bad line is a con. Its not the drugs, its the drug environment created by bad law and thus controlled and run by bad people.
Why do we have a meth problem you think? Because its freely available, easy to conceal and more economic than the local cannabis. We spend billions policing, and locking peole in prisons but make not one dent in the overall drug scene. What other area of govt expenditure is allowed to be funded to this level with a non existent outcome?
Wages in these trades are so poor no one wants to apply. Increase wages and you will get more applicants! Currently some of our best talent is being wasted in unproductive roles I.e. Lawyers, Marketers, Project Managers, IT Intregation something a rathers. We need to reinvent manufacturing and embrace it. Wages in these industries NEED to increase through intervention if need be. (& stop with this the "market will provide" nonsense. The Govt / Reserve Bank will go to the end of the earth to ensure we never have full employment)
[puts tinfoil hat on]
You have to wonder is it a deliberate attempt to get out of parliament by the National Coalition.
1. Key resigns mid-term
2. They get rid of the housing minister position
3. Maori align back with Hone
4. ACT and UF are fading
5. They "raise" the fresh water standards
6. They didn't really contest either of the last by-elections.
7. English denies both housing and immigration are issues
8. His big issue is drugs in the workplace.
Taking it further...
Labour don't seem to be capatilising on any of this, neither are the Greens, in fact other than perfunctory statements, they are steering clear of everything that National are doing wrong.
Seems like they don't want in either.
Makes you think if all of those in the know, don't want to be there, then just what catastrophe is on its way.
[removes tinfoil hat]
But seriously, I can't remember a complete abandonment of all commonsense in an election year like this bunch of loons.
It would be interesting to see what sort of data they are getting across their desks, I suspect we will never know but I would hate think what kind of rubbish it might be after LINZ failed to accurately account for foreign buyers.
However inaccurate it might be, I would like to think they are smart enough to base their decisions on reasonable evidence, I would just like to see it too and then make a decision if this is all a result of the bad information they are receiving or their lack of coherent decision making ability.
1.5% decrease in residential mortgage growth in January and a year on year sales decrease of 30% in Auckland. LINZ got things really wrong with their 3% foreign buyer nonsense. I suspect that a massive inflow of foreign cash dried up suddenly and that LINZ created their poor methodology for data collection under orders.
If you heard the National Radio interview with what I recall was the head of the fruitgrowers this afternoon with Jim Mora - he pointed out that half the potential workers interviewed for a career in horticulture were not prepared to give up their drug use and change their lifestyle in exchange for a career.
The PM's anecdotal evidence is pretty accurate !
Sister Suzanne Aubert - now the venerable Suzanne Aubert (could become NZ's first saint) raised the money to fund her work with orphans through the growing and preparation of medicinal cannabis products. Yes, back in the 1800s we were world leading in the technology.
Great program to download here giving the history of NZ's 'war on drugs';
It's not just about functioning on the job.
Drug use correlates to:
- Higher absenteeism
- Higher instances of employee theft
- Higher instances of employee Fraud
- Higher incident rates involving injury
- Lower productivity
Then there are the more generic risks that employers simply don't want to deal with
- Family violence, can turn into violence directed at other employees/management.
- Manufacturing (Bonus points for on work premises, you know that abandoned shack at the far end of the farm)
- Distribution (receiving and dealing from work, to other employees)
- Driving to and from work, and the associated risks.
- Tainting of production
A career in horticulture? I assume he was talking about fruit picking jobs... the bulk of the work being seasonal - no career, just temporary employment in the main. And they prefer to hire travelers on visitors visas, overseas students and migrants from the Pacific islands on 'flexible' pay arrangements via contractors - many 'contracts' where pay works out to be under the minimum wage hourly rate.
Too many media accounts of this exploitation to cover it all - but here's a small selection:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/84236855/Likely-thousands-of-migr…
http://www.freshplaza.com/article/163517/NZ-Fijians-exploited-in-fruit-…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830276
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/313443/facebook-used-to-recruit-…
Wake up and smell the shit coming out of our PMs mouth - he's talking to growers that don't want to pay minimum wages. Why? Because it makes their businesses uneconomic. Why don't we talk about how to fix that instead.
"Wake up and smell the shit coming out of our PMs mouth - he's talking to growers that don't want to pay minimum wages. Why? Because it makes their businesses uneconomic. Why don't we talk about how to fix that instead."
I couldn't agree more, but ignoring the drugs is not the way to solve this.
What drugs????? The one half of one percent of those on the unemployment benefit testing positive?
Not saying we don't have a drug problem in NZ - we do - one that would be so much less a problem if marijuana were legalized - allowing us to concentrate on the real killers: alcohol and meth.
But what we do not have is a problem with young people unable to get work because they can't pass drug tests. The evidence, you know - facts, not anecdote - say otherwise.
how many growers are doing drug tests on their workers? there is no way they would pay for that
the level of testing would be he/she looks like they are on something.
the whole thing is a smoke screen for cheap labour and instead of coming out with BS just admit it
we only want to pay x and we expect y in return and kiwis will not do that. they expect better treatment and pay
the problem is just about all the leading politicians from all sides are baby boomers,
and the noun for a group of baby boomers is an entitlement
and that is how they are governing from all sides, they are doing over future generations whilst making sure they can get everything they can.
This one looks perfect, made for the job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLuA7fzQpfo
Well, the innocuous of the illegal recreational drugs hang around, the most dangerous ones don't, such as "P" you can go crazy on "P" over the weekend then turn in a clear test at work, whereas you might get chilled on a joint or two on another weekend and it will condemn for weeks to come. Think we need to go back to the drawing board with drug testing, as all it is doing is making "P" more attractive, and that can hardly be what the aim of it all was
Hey Bill - One News tonight tells us that Customs have intercepted a record amt of Meth.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/customs-seizures-kept-1-2-b…
Interest.co.nz tells us we have record immigration. Correlation I presume. Who at the 'end of the day' is responsible for the high immigration Bill?
Anecdotally (I know you set great store by this Bill) when the drug crims are named in the media they usually don't have a name like Smith or Jones.
Our PM appears quite foolish but then his predecessor did not set the bar very high. Wake up NZ.
We have a whole load of commenters here implying that the PM is lying and that drugs aren't actually problem in the potential/actual workforce.
Interesting isn't it.
- Record hauls for meth coming into the country
- Record numbers of houses being condemned due to manufacture.
- Record amounts of burglary and related crime to fund the habit.
The suppliers and dealers may not have Kiwi names, but I guarantee the users do.
Which begs the question, with all these records, surely we do have more users?
and surely they don't want to get caught out due to a pre-employment drug test?
Yes, meth is a growing problem - and that's one of the main problems with drug testing... meth clears the system far, far more quickly (i.e., days) than cannabis (weeks) - hence work related drug-testing as presently conducted in NZ could be said to incentivise recreational meth use.
Winston Peters responds on Facebook:
" Bill English is misguided saying New Zealanders are too drugged to get jobs – 91,000 young Kiwis haven’t got a job, and are not in training, but they are not all druggies.
Overall, it’s a pathetic excuse from the PM.
Immigration is at an all time high.
National has done little to train Kiwis, they prefer cheaper migrant workers.
Look at Christchurch. Perfect training ground.
Instead there were thousands of Filipino workers, Irish and British.
And at least a quarter of each of these groups were unskilled.
We have our own unskilled workers but where’s the government support to get them upskilled?
New Zealand First wants a state-funded programme in the army for young Kiwis to learn a trade. That will give them a good start."
Thank you The Herald - finally, a journo contacts WINZ - and the answer is .5% - yes "one half a percent" of WINZ referred drug tested job seekers returned positive tests.
ONE HALF A PERCENT OVER THREE YEARS.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11809291
And of course you only have to do the drug test if you tell WINZ you think you can pass. Sooo NZHerald 29,000-32,000 drug tests on people who said they could pass a drug test... The 0.5%er's are just the fools who told WINZ they could pass a drug test but then failed. It is hardly the case it is random drug testing came up with the 0.5% figure.
" As part of our screening process we'll only refer beneficiaries to your vacancy if the job is suitable for them and they tell us they can pass a pre-employment drug test."
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/employers/employ-staff/pre-employment…
The futher subset is only 40% of WINZ jobs list require a drugs test. Let me guess people have figured out which job classes require WINZ drug tests and steer well clear.
"Around 40% of jobs listed with Work and Income require applicants to pass a pre-employment drug test."
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/providers/health-and-disability-pract…
Good one NZ Herald.
Ok then, we still only have Bill's anecdotal evidence to say it's a problem.
The idea that we NEED one of the highest immigration rates in the world as we don't have enough people to do all the jobs we have is pretty hard to justify I think. Especially if you were to investigate the actual people we are bringing in.
I fear the election strategy from those in power is to dog whistle a lot of these anecdotal "facts" to try and control the narrative. I guess they figured it worked for Trump.
Also first hand experience 295/300 applicants refusing to take a drug test is fairly telling. You are dreaming if you think Bill is being all "anecdotal". Plenty of unpleasant evidence/"facts"out there to back up his statement. But as usual most commenters automatically label the PM of the day a liar and something Trump thrown in to virtue signal.
Isn't amazing that the 0.5% WINZ group have a lower rate of drug use than the general population...
"According to estimates made by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), cannabis use appears to be highest in Oceania - Australia and New Zealand - with up to 15 percent of 15-64 year olds using the drug. For amphetamines, again Oceania came out highest with up to 2.8 percent of this age group using drugs such as speed and crystal meth..."
http://www.asianscientist.com/2012/01/health/australia-zealand-world-la…"
I support Profile comments and can back that up with managing a large infrastructure business in Auckland some 3 years past.
Health and Safety was paramount as the work was very hazardous climbing power pylons, repairing bridges etc. Our alcohol and drugs testing was increased due to the many incidences of drug taking whilst on the job. It resulted in a number of workers losing their jobs and at least one in 4 that applied for positions would not accept any drug testing FACT.
Yep drug taking on the job is rife in some industries. Quite a sad really.
"Its latest figures show 5.7 per cent of all its drug tests were positive for illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and synthetic cannabis last year, which represented an increase of 0.4 per cent on 2013."
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/69485365/more-wellington-…
Agency chief executive officer Kirk Hardy said cannabis seemed to be the drug of choice, up 3.5 per cent, to 82.3 per cent of all positive tests. The next most abused drug was methamphetamine, detected in almost 15 per cent of all positive tests in 2014.
Cannabis being 82.3% of all positives - and depending on the way the test is calibrated, traces of cannbis/THC in the system can be detected for weeks from its prior use.
Decriminalise cannabis and reset the pre-employment tests accordingly.
No one should be impaired at work by any substance, that is a given.
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.