I’m not sure exactly why the government is changing employment law today. They claim it’s to provide certainty to Warners but there are a couple of things to note about the bill:
It stops film workers from taking drawn out and expensive legal action to prove they are employees. Something I’m pretty certain only one film contractor has done – five years ago.
But it wouldn’t have made a difference to the do-not-sign notices nor to the international work ban. In fact it doesn’t offer any greater industrial certainty than exists currently – if Actors Equity or a union representing other Hobbit Contractors wanted to it could call another ban under the changed law just as easily.
So what’s the point? Did Key tell Warners it would make a difference or did Warners just not care (and why would they, they were happy enough when the ban was called off days before Jackson pulled his media stunt)?
I suspect it was a request from Peter Jackson. After all it was Jackson’s company that was ruled against by the Supreme Court and I reckon he’s the kind of guy who would nurse a grudge.
But whatever the motive, in other countries legislation is generally changed to reflect the decisions of their supreme courts. In New Zealand it’s now being changed to overrule a Supreme Court decision a multinational company doesn’t like.
There’s a term for that kind of government: corrupt.
Update: it looks like Andrew Geddis and Steven Price are asking the same question.
Frankly I’m starting to suspect this meaningless law change has been put through to make it look like the employment issue was the problem, not the tax breaks.
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