Animal Holidays

Hutt News, Volume XXII, Issue 2, 23 June 1948, Page 5

Animal Holidays

AMENDMENT OF ACT URGED EMPLOYERS’ DIFFICULTIES The difficulties facing employers under the conditions of the Annual Holidays Act, 1044, with particular reference to the provisions of the Act as they affect employers during the close-down period over the Christmas and New Year holidays, were considered at the annual conference of the New Zealand Motor Body Builders’ Industrial Association of Employers.

It was contended that in view of the large turnover in labour that is experienced by employers generally a large percentage of workers either had to be kept in employment during the close-down period or were paid for a holiday to which they were not entitled.

Employers have experienced difficulty in keeping their workers in employment during the close-down period and consequently the majority received a paid annual holiday before it was due, and in some cases these workers left the employer before a year’s work had been completed, and as a result of these circumstances the following resolutions were passed by the Conference:—

Grave Concern Expressed

(1) That the Conference views with grave concern the present position whereby employers are compelled to pay holiday pay to workers who have been employed for only short periods prior to the annual holiday close-down of factories or alternatively provide work for such employees; therefore it is recommended that endeavours be made to have the Annual Holidays Act amended , so, .that, proportionate holiday pay shall be paid in stamps up to and including the first eleven months of any year and that employers be able to cash stamps of employees at the holiday period and pay the employee in cash. In order to effect this amendment it would be necessary only to delete paragraph 2 of clause 4 of the Annual Holidays Act, and to delete the words “which is less than three months” from paragraph 1 of clause 5 of the Act.

(2) That the Annual Holidays Act be amended to eliminate the provision which requires an annual holiday to be given to a worker within six months of the period when it actually becomes due.

The Association decided to ask the Minister of Labour to give consideration to the above-mentioned resolutions, with a view to some amending legislation being brought down during the next session of Parliament, which would ease the difficulties of employers in this connection.

Manufacturers Concerned When the matter was brought before the council of the Hu It Valley Chamber of Commerce and Industry last week the president, Mr. H. G. Lewis, said that it had caused concern to the Manufacturers’ Association also. Mr. E. A. Tomkies considered that under the present law there was definite inequality between one class of worker and another. If the stamp system was carried on for eleven months there would be no difficulty. The secretary, Mr. L. V. Phillips, said he understood the Federation of Labour was concerned about the position, and there was a suggestion that holidays should be “staggered.’" It was decided that the manufacturing committee, with co-opted members, should’ go into the matter and present a report at the next meeting.