Darien
FENTON
Labour spokesperson for Labour Issues
Carmel
SEPULONI
Labour spokesperson for Disability Issues
29 March 2011
MEDIA STATEMENT
Relief that Government will negotiate on sleepover decisions
Labour is relieved that the Government has agreed to sit down with stakeholders and unions to try to find a solution
around the decision that disability support workers must be paid for “sleepovers”, says Darien Fenton, Labour’s
spokesperson for Labour Issues.
The Government recently refused to back a recommendation by the Court of Appeal which classed disability support workers
as working when they stayed over in IHC premises, and therefore entitled them to be paid the minimum wage for every hour
worked.
“We’ve been calling on the Government to negotiate on this issue long before the Court of Appeal decision and were
disappointed that they instead opted to prolong the dispute by joining the government to the Court Action.
“I’m also relieved that the Government appears to have shelved any idea of amending the Minimum Wage Act to avoid having
to fund disability providers the costs of the decision. Any changes to the Minimum Wage Act to allow averaging, as the
Government and IHC had argued in court was permissible, would have had a far reaching impact on all workers, not just
disability support staff,” Darien Fenton said.
Labour’s Disability Spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni says that the decision of the Government to negotiate will ease concern
for service users in Idea Services and other disability support services.
“It’s just a pity that their uncertainty has been prolonged by the Government mucking around in the Courts, instead of
getting on with the job of settling this issue,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
ENDS