The Government wants to prevent unfair employment practices, and have now (from 1 April 2016) legislated against the use of Zero-hour contracts under the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2016.

Dating back to the pre-industrial era, women in New Zealand have been paid less than men. Over time, discrimination against women in the workplace has been recognised, and legislation has been developed to prevent it. New Zealand’s labour and human rights laws prohibit discrimination in pay or employment opportunity, and provide equal pay for men and women doing the same job, in both the public and private sectors.  Despite the best intentions of the legislation, the gender pay gap has remained.  In the June 2014 quarter, the gender pay gap in New Zealand was 9.9 per cent.  This means that a typical New Zealand male earned about 10 per cent more for an hour’s work than a typical New Zealand female.[1]

Easter Public Holidays

The Employment Standards Legislation Bill proposes to amend the New Zealand employment law to ensure it responds to the modern, dynamic business environment and encourages fair and productive workplaces.

This year the recognised Public Holidays over the Christmas and New Year period are as follows:

On 24 November, Leah, Fiona, Phil and Robyn presented the first test/pilot seminar on Health and Safety, designed specifically for the Inter Church Bureau by Paul Diver Associates.  All going well, next year our Associates will tour around the country facilitating numerous training sessions from Whangarei to Invercargill, spreading the word on health and safety.  The seminars will focus on critical points for health and safety around the Church and the different options they provide for their communities.

A recent determination from the Employment Relations Authority has found a voluntary, unpaid pre-employment test did not form part of a trial period.  The employees personal grievances for unjustified dismissal and disadvantage failed.

Paula Bennett, Michael Woodhouse

Redundancy is generally considered to be a situation where an employee’s position is surplus to the employer’s commercial needs. Employers must be able to justify redundancies substantively (show that they are genuine) and procedurally (that a fair procedure was followed). An employer who fails to carry out a proper restructure process will be potentially liable for remedies such as compensation, penalties, lost remuneration and reinstatement.

October 21, 2015 The Human Rights Commission has welcomed plans to set up a working group to develop agreed principles on pay equity for all sectors of the economy.