Employers Acting Illegally Over SARS
“Workers who turn up fit for work cannot be forced to take leave, regardless of whether they have returned from a
country with SARS,” said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.
Ross Wilson said employers did not have the right to send workers home on annual, sick or unpaid leave as some employers
are doing.
“The employment contract is an arrangement whereby if I’m fit and turn up for work, my employer is obliged to continue
my employment and pay me,” he said.
Ross Wilson said some employers were forcing workers who had returned from affected areas to take up to 10 days off.
“Employers have got to be vigilant, but we’ve had one SARS case in New Zealand and we have people travelling the globe
constantly,” he said.
“If employers want to take this sort of action, they can negotiate with the worker to work at home or request the worker
to stay home and keep them on full pay.”