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Posts Tagged ‘workers rights’

Illegal Easter Traders should pay double time

Posted by Darien Fenton on April 7th, 2010

I’m the first to admit that the Easter Shop Trading laws are a mess, particularly around trading on Easter Sunday.

But I’ve always taken the view that as long as shop workers oppose the opening up of shop trading laws on Easter Sunday, I will too.

The most recent attempt to liberalise Easter Sunday shopping hours by Rotorua MP, whathisname Todd McClay, went down in a hail of MP opposition and joined the many other attempts to standardise the law over the last few years.

But it seems that many retailers have just decided to flout the law and cop the $1,000 fine.  The Department of Labour reports that they found 38 establishments open illegally over Easter – half on Easter Friday and the other half on Easter Sunday.

At least those working on Easter Friday would have been paid time and a half and get another day in lieu – although this could be hard to enforce, if their workplace was open and trading illegally.   But the poor buggers working on Easter Sunday get nothing extra.

$1,000 fine for breaking the law seems very weak.

Perhaps the fines should be increased to the equivalent of giving the workers made to work on Easter Sunday double time.   That might be more of a deterrent.

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Filed under: workforce
30 Comments

Those ‘offensive’ signs of support

Posted by Jacinda Ardern on October 14th, 2009

The sloganJust to follow up on the comments made by Clare and Darien….

In support of  the parliamentary staff who are currently facing a pay freeze and a reduction in their redundancy conditions, a number of Labour MPs sported short wee signs on the boxes we take into the House each day.

David Garrett took offence to them, the Speaker ordered that we remove them, and one national member even called the signs ‘offensive.’

Moana is kindly modelling said offensive slogan. I’ll let you be the judge.

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Filed under: parliament
21 Comments

A fair deal in hard times

Posted by Darien Fenton on September 9th, 2009

fairdeal

This campaign was launched today with support from Labour, Greens, Maori Party and a range of unions and workers. More to come.

Go visit the website and get involved.

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Filed under: labour, parliament, redundancy, union, workforce
2 Comments

Redundancy Blues

Posted by Darien Fenton on June 28th, 2009

With more than 1000 workers a week joining the dole queue I’m worried about the large number who are being laid off without notice or redundancy compensation. New Zealand laws have no entitlements to workers for notice or compensation in the event of redundancy, unless there is specific provision in an employment agreement.

Some employers go so far as to specifically prohibit redundancy payments in employment agreements. The thousands of commercial cleaners throughout the country earning just $12.55 an hour are a case in point.

Last week I asked the Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, what she planned to do about the Public Advisory Report on Redundancy and Restructuring which was reported back under the last government, and recommends minimum notice and redundancy compensation. After months of saying it was “on her desk for consideration”, the Minister finally admitted that she has no intention of pursuing the recommendations, saying that, “It is not my priority to impose costs on businesses…”

We all know there’s a recession, but it can’t always be an excuse for doing nothing. It’s not good enough that all the cost of lay offs should be borne by workers and their families.

I have drafted a members’ bill on this topic based on the advisory group’s report and Labour’s manifesto promise. This is a conversation New Zealand needs to have.

Most OECD countries have at least minimum notice and many have redundancy compensation. Australia has minimum redundancy payments as one of the core provisions in awards that can’t be contracted out of. National is fond of quoting OECD countries when they want to compare growth, productivity and wages. I can live with that as long as the balance sheet on both sides – workers and employers – is equitably compared.

I’m completely open to considering how redundancy payments should be made and who by, taking into account small business pressures. Labour is having a look at Australia’s General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme (GEERS), which provides a basic payment scheme for employees’ unpaid entitlements, such as redundancy pay, in situations of insolvency, where there are insufficient funds or assets available, and no other source of funds are available to pay these entitlements.

You might have some other ideas.

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Filed under: Uncategorized, labour
10 Comments

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