NZ law with regards to pay cuts?

[Drunken Monkey]

There's still plenty of jobs advertised in IT at the moment (I'm looking too), but the general consensus from recruiters is they are looking for very close to exact matches as practical. They also say IT employers are looking for culture fits, as technically minded people can pick up the skills required. The last one sounds like a crock to me.

Depending on your skill set you can make good money in a boutique company, but there's a reason these small IT shops come and go overnight.

Don't know what EDS or HP are like with secondment and similar offerings any more, but you used to at least be able to move around sideways if you couldn't move up. Additionally they have their own career pathways, I think Jim2, Ixion and JRandom have all pointed out previously our paths are somewhat...limited...outside our industry.

You you ask for a 'hands up peeps in IT who are only there until they're financially secure', you see a lot of hands these days. I dunno if it's the stress, how people see us or what, but it's pretty common.

[Scouse]

Just heard that they plan to implement the pay cuts Sometime around June 1st..... Also heard that we need to sign a contarct agreeing to the paycut, which many of you'll have mentioned... Lets see how this goes!

This should read "Also heard that they want us to sign a new contarct agreeing to the paycut". The ERA law says that your old contract is in force until you sign a new contract. So just refuse to sign the new contract.

[Hitcher]

They also say IT employers are looking for culture fits, as technically minded people can pick up the skills required. The last one sounds like a crock to me.

It's not a crock. For "technical" jobs, such as IT, accountancy, HR, project management, an employer can reasonably assume that any hick has the necessary skills and qualifications. Reference and qualifications' checking is all they need to do in that regard.

Culture fit is a "soft" competency that is, at the end of the day, way more important to an organisation's success than hiring a geek who can speak binary fluently and who is a level 26 Magic User. Alchemy doesn't rock everybody's world.

[popelli]

Whether you like it or not and regardless of what employment law states if a company makes the decision to cut wages it will one way or another

What ever process is used if you fight it they will get rid of you one way or another and replace you with some body happy to work for the reduced package

Best advice is to resist as long as you can without stick your head too far above the paraphet dust off your CV and get another job

If you can't pick up a better job then you have little choice

[geoffm]

This should read "Also heard that they want us to sign a new contarct agreeing to the paycut". The ERA law says that your old contract is in force until you sign a new contract. So just refuse to sign the new contract.

but update the CV first. I had an employer who did this to me years ago and being fresh out of school I went along with it. i have never forgiven them and slander them (with the truth :-) at every opportunity. Sometimes savings have hidden costs, especially in a small market like NZ...
Check the redundancy clauses carefully in the contract, and look up the "constructive dismissal" sections of employment law as well. My ex employer pulled that one on me, and if I wasn't so green at the time, I could have nailed them in the employment court.

[Drunken Monkey]

It's not a crock. For "technical" jobs, such as IT, accountancy, HR, project management, an employer can reasonably assume that any hick has the necessary skills and qualifications. Reference and qualifications' checking is all they need to do in that regard.

No, no it's not that part I don't believe; it's the part where I do match all the advertised criteria and still don't get called for an interview that's confusing me...

[Hitcher]

No, no it's not that part I don't believe; it's the part where I do match all the advertised criteria and still don't get called for an interview that's confusing me...

Ring up and ask why. There's little harm in doing that.