10. ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tāmaki) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
What progress has the Government made in reviewing the Holidays Act?
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour) Link to this
I am pleased to say that significant progress has been made under this Government. Draft terms of reference have been drawn up for a working party to review several areas of the legislation, including the calculation of relevant daily pay, the transfer of public holidays by agreement, and giving workers the choice to trade their fourth week of leave for cash.
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
The working party will feature both Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. I am incredibly pleased to work with both organisations on this, and I can say that the level of cooperation from both has been fantastic. One of the first tasks the working party will undertake will be to determine who else needs to be consulted on the proposed changes.
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
We are reviewing the legislation because it is not up to the job. It is causing significant issues for employees and businesses, leading to unnecessary confusion and compliance costs. It is absolutely absurd that cases centred on the Holidays Act have had to go as high as the Supreme Court to be resolved. The previous Labour Government tried to address the issues in 2003 and failed; it tried again in 2004 and failed; and it did so again in 2008. We are just doing what should have been done years ago.