7. DAVE HEREORA (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
What recent announcements has she made concerning changes to how employees and employers can work out leave and pay entitlements?
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister of Labour) Link to this
I am happy to inform the House that my colleague Lianne Dalziel and I have recently launched a new online tool to help both employers and employees calculate their improved leave entitlement under the Holidays Act. It provides a simple one-stop shop to determine whether an employee is entitled to a paid public holiday, and, if so, what that entitlement should be.
The tool’s design recognises that not every worker has straightforward working arrangements, and it will make determining his or her pay and leave entitlements simple and straightforward. It will meet a core and significant aspect of one of the recommendations of the Small Business Advisory Group, as it will reduce business compliance costs—a reduction that, I am sure, will be welcomed by all, but, in particular, by small-business owners.
Does the Minister think it is fair that a worker is paid more to be sick than to be at work; how does that encourage productivity, or is a calculator needed to decide what is fair?