INDUSTRY
NZSA CEO’s July Report In this update, NZSA CEO Gary Morrison talks inclusion of Security Officers on Schedule 1A of the Employment Relations Act, Fair Pay Agreements, Covid-19 vaccinations, licensing for pubs, building consent for access control works, and more.
Gary Morrison is CEO of the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA). A qualified accountant, Gary originally joined Armourguard Security as a junior accountant and held several roles over two decades prior to appointment as GM for New Zealand and Fiji, after which he established Icon Security Group.
Fair Pay Agreements In April this year the Government announced the design of the Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) system. The design was informed by the Fair Pay Agreement Working Group and public consultation, as well as involvement from the NZCTU (representing unions) and Business New Zealand (representing employers and industry sectors). Current planning is that the Bill will be introduced in November of this year and that the first agreement negotiations will be initiated in early 2022. Whilst the detail is yet to be fully announced, it is clear that Security workers will be one of the first sectors to be covered by a FPA and as such, bargaining will be required between Etu (being the union covering security workers) and employers (under co-ordination of the NZSA or an alternate industry body). Again, this will have a significant and far-reaching impact on those providers offering guarding, patrol and cash-in-transit services and it is important that members are kept well informed on developments. We will provide on-going updates as more information becomes available. However, for more detailed background, please refer to our newsletter Important Employment Matters on our website. Covid-19 vaccinations It is apparent that the Government has back-tracked on earlier plans to prioritise the vaccination of essential service workers under a separate
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NZSM
Group and vaccinations will be scheduled on the basis of: • Group 1 – Border and Managed Isolation and Quarantine Workers • Group 2 – High-risk frontline workers and people living in highrisk places • Group 3 – People who are at risk (over 65, underlying health issues, disabled, caring for a person with a disability, pregnant or an adult in a custodial setting) • Group 4 – Everyone aged 16 and over We are aware that members are often finding this a difficult area from an employment perspective and offer the following guidance: As a general rule, employers can encourage, but not force staff to receive Covid-19 vaccinations. Employers cannot engage or employ staff without Covid-19 Vaccination to work if: • The work is in specific areas legally requiring Covid-19 vaccination (generally at the border or MIQ); or • It is otherwise unsafe for that person to work due to the level of risk (under the Health and Safety at Work Act). To assess what can/should be done: First Stage: Work Location Where does the employee work? Does the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 apply (this lists who must be vaccinated to work)? Workers at Managed
August/September 2021
