INDUSTRY
NZSA CEO’s November Report NZSA CEO Gary Morrison talks Covid-19 Managed Isolation Facilities, new employment rules, MSD Skills for Industry Program, security career pathway website and more. In our last newsletter I commented on the security issues that had occurred at the MIFs (Managed Isolation Facilities) and the resulting negative coverage from the media and ill-founded government announcements with regards to replacing all 500 to 600 private security personnel working at those sites with staff from the armed forces, supported by security staff to be recruited and trained by MBIE.
Gary Morrison is CEO of the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA). A qualified accountant, Gary originally joined Armourguard Security as a junior accountant and held several roles over two decades prior to appointment as GM for New Zealand and Fiji, after which he established Icon Security Group.
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I’m pleased to advise that the number of private security staff at the MIFs has in fact increased since that time (with contracts in place for most sites ensuring service continuity), and the lack of reporting of any incidents seems to indicate that services are being performed to a high standard. I note that Nick Dynon, the highly credentialed and respected Chief Editor for the New Zealand Security Magazine, commented in last month’s magazine that the political announcements appeared to be nothing more than an attempt to distract the media focus from the need for more proactive security measures at the border and without any engagement with the Army or MBIE with regards to their ability to provide the additional resource. I still find it disappointing that politicians can be so indifferent towards the situation of the 500 to 600 workers facing potential redundancy, or the employers who had invested heavily in recruiting and resourcing their staff on the MIF sites. However that is probably the reality of decision making when leading in to an election.
Impact of new employment rules The strong mandate for Labour at the recent election means that some significant employment law changes are likely to be implemented within the next year or two. Labour’s employment policies include: • Raising the minimum wage from $18.90 to $20.00, effective 1 April 2021 • Increase paid sick leave from 5 days to 10 days • Legislate for and implement Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) with the guarding sector, probably the first industry sector to be implemented (this is on Labour’s first 100-day plan) • Removal of the 90-day clause for new workers • Recognising Matariki as a statutory holiday • Four weeks compulsory redundancy • Providing unions with a stronger presence in the workplace. The NZSA maintains strong relationships with the various government agencies that will be involved in the development and implementation of these policies and we will continue to advocate strongly for the interest of our members. We recently circulated a MBIE survey on the proposed increase in the minimum wage to our members and utilising the returns we received, were able to provide a comprehensive submission to MBIE on behalf of the industry. We are very aware of the potential cost implications associated with many of these policies and will provide more detailed information as the policy detail and timing becomes known.
December 2020/January 2021
