Roger Sowry MP National Industrial Relations Spokesman

18 February 2003

Employers to wear new costs in Holidays Bill

The National Party says the union friendly Labour Government is poised again to use business as its political whipping boy after the tabling of the Holidays Bill in Parliament today.

"Even though this piece of legislation conveniently ignores the question of whether workers should get a minimum of four weeks' leave, it'll lump new costs on all businesses," says the National Party Industrial Relations spokesman Roger Sowry.

"Rather than simplify the current legislation, the Government has boosted worker entitlements and increased the penalties on employers for any breach of the Act.

"It paves the way for the accumulation of sick days and workers won't even have to produce a medical certificate to use the accumulated leave," he says.

"This Bill would clearly throw up more barriers to growth at a time when more and more of the Government's own supporters don't have confidence in Labour's economic management.

"The Government needs to realise that any move to increase entitlements will have a flow on - employers are not a bottomless pit of money.

"With an increasingly uncertain international economic climate, this Government should be taking steps to protect businesses not lumping them with more costs," Mr Sowry says.

"It's also disappointing that the Government will consider Matt Robson's Bill to give workers a minimum of four weeks' leave at the same time.

"That gives credence to speculation that Labour's poised to do a u-turn on an earlier promise to business that it wouldn't happen," Mr Sowry says.

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