The Restricted Shop Trading Tool has been launched to help retailers determine whether or not they are allowed to trade on restricted shop trading days. There are three and a half days when almost all shops must be closed and this new online tool helps users work out if they are legally allowed to trade.
Check out the Restricted Shop Trading Tool here.
The new Parental Leave and Payment Eligibility Tool has been designed to help employers and expectant parents to navigate their way through the eligibility criteria for parental leave and work out their entitlements.
Check out the Parental Leave and Payment Eligibility Tool here.
A Kumeu strawberry grower has been penalised $6,000 after being caught a second time by a Labour Inspector for failing to provide written employment agreements, or keep accurate holiday and leave records.
The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found that strawberry grower, A and J Zaknic & Sons Limited, had a long history of failing properly to pay seasonal workers or keep accurate records, despite receiving warnings. The company entered an enforceable undertaking in December 2013 promising to fix these issues, however the Labour Inspectorate at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) continued to receive complaints from employees.
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In March the Ministry of Social Development launched a new advice line for employers. This free service helps employers manage and support staff with disabilities or health conditions. The line is open at 0800 805 405, from Monday to Friday, business hours.
This advice line is not designed to provide advice around HR related matters.
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In February both the National Party and New Zealand First announced that they would support a Green Party bill to give the victims of domestic violence 10 days paid leave from work.
Green MP Jan Logie commented “It was great when Business New Zealand came out and said they wanted the discussion (about paid leave for victims of domestic violence) to happen.”
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New research shows that a gender pay gap exists in New Zealand and it’s cause is mostly because of bias, perception and attitude towards women. This is the first empirical evidence that inequity in pay cannot be explained by differences in education, occupation and industry or part-time work. Researchers found that 80% of the wage inequality was caused by conscious or unconscious bias that negatively affected women’s opportunities in the workplace.
Chris Till from the Human Resources Institute said that the research is not surprising and that gender pay audits are the right thing for organisations to do.
Give us a call on 0800 HRtookit or drop us an email on [email protected] for more information on how to conduct a gender pay audit.
This year the National Party announced their intention to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67. Recent research from Statistics New Zealand shows that workers in this age group are an important part of the workforce. Older workers experience less discrimination (fewer than 1 in 10 workers), feel positive about their job prospects and are keen to stay working full-time.
For more information about the Statistics New Zealand research: http://www.stats.govt.nz/
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An Auckland grocer has been penalised $12,000 by the Employment Relations Authority after an investigation uncovered attempts to charge a migrant worker a premium.
Loua Ward from the Labour Inspectorate commented “Employers who exploit vulnerable workers by making them pay premiums in exchange for a job breach New Zealand law, and it will not be tolerated,” she went on to say that “This practice takes advantage of migrants who may not be aware of all their rights and entitlements in New Zealand, or may not feel like they have any other option.”
Raw N Fresh Limited and its director Amardeep Singh, who had traded as both ‘Drury Lane Fruit and Vegies’ and ‘Waiuku Fruit and Veges’, demanded the newly employed shop manager pay $20,000, then reduced their demand to $18,000, in exchange for supporting the employee’s visas.
Both times the employee refused to make the payments sought by Mr Singh, choosing instead to leave his job at Raw N Fresh Limited and report the matter to the Labour Inspectorate.
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An auto valet in South Auckland has been ordered to pay $241,451.66 in penalties and arrears after an investigation found serious breaches of employment law.
Loua Ward from the Labour Inspectorate said that “For six years or more Manukau Auto Valet Limited deprived some 221 employees of their most basic employment entitlements, failing to pay at least a minimum wage, or holiday pay to employees leaving the company,” she added that “The Labour Inspectorate takes these kinds of breaches very seriously as not only did the employer breach the rights of the people working for them, they also attempted to gain an unfair advantage over their law abiding competitors.”
Manukau Auto Valet Limited director and major shareholder Dharmesh Kumar pleaded ignorance, however the ERA agreed with the Labour Inspectorate’s position that this was not a mitigating factor. This was reinforced by ERA authority member Vicky Campbell saying it is the obligation of all employers to understand and adhere to the law.
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The number of online job advertisements grew by 1.3 per cent in March and by 14.2 per cent over the year, according to the latest Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Jobs Online report.
Nita Zodgekar from the MBIE says the growth was spread across all skill levels and occupation groups with the strongest growth in skilled jobs.
Other interesting takeaways from the report were:
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