Marama Davidson: Green Party co-leader on the party's members bill to make union membership the default

The Greens have made an election pledge to make union membership automatic for new employees.

Co-leader Marama Davidson says this members bill and policy would make union membership the default setting for new employees, who could choose to opt out.

Davidson explained that unions are a critical way for workers to get better pay and conditions and this bill will make it easier for them to get involved.

"This is a good idea, and of course we need to protect privacy - at the same time, normal accountabilities will apply." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Greens have announced they want to make union membership automatic.
They want every new employee enrolled in a union with
the option to opt out rather than to opt in
like the situation currently is. Madima Davidson is the co
leader of the Greens and with us home, Madama got
to hear that. Okay, why do you want to change
the rules?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Unions are a critical way for workers to get better
paying conditions, and this bill will make it easier for
workers to belong to their union.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Will it also, though, pass the contact details of every
single new employee onto a union.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
It will require that so that people can automatically join
the union. It will remove the barriers for new workers
to belong to their union.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay. Is it a problem though giving all of that
information to unions perhaps against an employee's will.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Similar to when good ideas are important to share minimal information,
just like joining key, we favor where those details are
passed on. For example, this is a good idea, and
of course we need to protect privacy. At the same time,
the normal accountabilities will apply.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, now, Madama, I've been puzzled by this announcement from
you guys today because it doesn't strike me as a
vote winner, like, it's not one that's going to get
you up in the polls ahead of the election. So
are you actually is the real reason for this? You
guys trying to lure the unions away from labor to
support the Greens instead.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Parpoler responses to your question. Tolling has showed that sixty
five percent of employees would remain union members if automatically enrolled,
so there is strong public support for this change. Secondly,
for the past at least three consecutive general elections, this
has been a policy point in the Greens election manifesto

(01:44):
of automatic union leadership. The difference is this time Chiao
tuion Our Stokes has actually drafted the bill, so it's
ready to go.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
And are you trying to win the unions over?

Speaker 2 (01:57):
It's about worker's rights, it's about in during that we
are improving the pay and conditions for the ordinary, everyday worker,
and the collective bargaining power has shown that unionized workers
earn more than non humanized workers. And it's only because
of unions that we have got you know, eight hour days,

(02:19):
paid leaves, health and safety conditions for example. It's important
for workers and it's part of Green's long standing copper.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
All right, he thank you, madam. I go well, that's
Matima Davidson, Green Party co leader. For more from Heather
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