Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Leeann Watson: Business Canterbury CEO on the upcoming changes to the Holidays Act

Transcript

Leeann Watson: Business Canterbury CEO on the upcoming changes to the Holidays Act · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 0:00
  Speaker 2: Major changes ahead for employers. The long awaited overhaul of
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: the Holidays Act will be announced today by the Workplace
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Relations Minister. This will mean business owners will hopefully have
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: more certainty over their leave requirements of their staff. Leanne
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Watson is a CEO of Business Canterbranch, is with me now,
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Lynne.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Good morning.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Okay, how long have you been waiting for this legislation
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: to be overhauled?
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Oh? Look, a very long time. We are very much
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: looking forward today's announcement and what we hope will replace
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: this long criticized Holidays Act. In fact, in my eight
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: years a CEO of Business Canterbury, I would say no
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: single piece of legislation has caused more frustration more confusion
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: than the Holidays Act. And there's been you know, significant
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: compliance nightmares, riddled with complexity, menual pay roll fixes and
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: interventions and you know some pretty serious under and overpayment
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: risks involved.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: It's been really tricky for casual employee. So how are
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: casual employees treated differently to full timers under the current
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: act and what are you hoping to see?
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Look, I mean the first thing that we're hoping
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: to see is a regulation that is clearer, fairer and
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: just more practical for employers to implement and meet their obligations,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: because that has been the single biggest concern that you know,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: businesses have just simply almost needed an advanced calculus degree
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: to work out whether or not they are in fact
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: meeting those obligations. You and you're quite right when we
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: take into accounts some modern day work day practices. You know,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: we do have many sectors who employ casual and part
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: time staff, manufacturers, hospitality, retail, and they have been I
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: guess the most impacted by mainly the pro rating of
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: leave based on the hour's work. That's been you know,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: one of the biggest issues. So that's what we're hoping
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: to see today is just that particular issue, you know,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: a lot farer for employers to work through.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: What else would you love to hear the curtain only en.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Look, I think just going back to really reducing that
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: compliance burden on businesses and having them, you know, understand
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: how to navigate that legislation that you know, that has
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: been the single biggest issue has caused huge confusion, and
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: not only for you know, small businesses, many of whom
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: of course don't having sort of dedicated HR resources internally,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: but also you know, we know for some other bigger businesses,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: in fact, including some of the government departments, they've also
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: you know, been victim of not understanding this and getting
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: it wrong. So I think just you know, going back
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: to making it really clear, really fear and really practical
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: for businesses to molement is what we're hoping to see today.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Are you confident, I mean, how was the consultation process.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Do you feel like your concerns were heard by the minister.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Yes, we have had some good consultation and in fact,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: you know, Minister van Walden has been very actively involved
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: in engaging with our members and Canterbury not only on
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: this but also on health and safety reform. So the
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: consultation has been good. I guess the announcement today will determine,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: you know, how much she has listened. This is complex.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: I suspect that will take quite some time to work through,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: but you know this has been worked on since twenty eighteen,
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: you know, so there needs to be some urgency to
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: address this to get it right.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: Yeh, Watson, thank you so much for your time.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:18
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• 3:21
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