Holidays Survey Contains No Surprises

A survey on employers' attitudes to the Holidays Act contains no surprises, Enterprise and Commerce Minister Max Bradford said today.

The Simpson Grierson report showed that many employers were incorrectly applying the Holidays Act and that most employers wanted the Act to be repealed or significantly amended.

"This survey confirms what the Government already knows - the Holidays Act is outdated, confusing and needs to be overhauled.

"It was written when a 40-hour, Monday to Friday working week was standard, and it has not translated well to the modern, flexible, working environment," Mr Bradford said.

"It is ludicrous to have a law that is so confusing that ordinary employers are inadvertently breaking it and others are breaking the bank paying for advice to understand it.

"The Coalition Government thoroughly reviewed the Act last year as part of its industrial relations reform package.

"This package would have addressed the issues outlined in the Simpson Grierson report, including the modayisation of holidays; provisions for time in lieu; accumulation of annual leave; and calculation of pay for annual leave.

"The changes to the Act could not proceed as the Government intended because there was a realignment in the House.

"However, the next National-led government will clean the Act up," Mr Bradford said.