NEWS ROUNDUP
MSD launches toolkit
T
he Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has launched (in November) a guide for employing disabled people. The Lead Toolkit contains information and resources for business owners, leadership teams, managers and HR teams to help them employ disabled people within their businesses. The guide is downloadable by section or as a complete PDF. Sections include tools and checklists on how to provide a clear commitment to employing and
retaining disabled people, as well as advice on recruitment and the employment cycle. Anne Hawker, Principal Disability Adviser at MSD, says, “The toolkit aims to provide you with the information to confidently employ disabled people and know where to go for support and advice.”
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/workprogrammes/lead-programme-work/index.html
Election result and impact on HR
W
ith Labour winning its second term in government, we can expect to see Fair Pay Agreements coming into effect. Fair Pay Agreements are negotiated between unions and employers and set minimum terms and conditions of employment for all workers in an entire industry or occupation. Labour intends to introduce legislation that sets the minimum content that must be included in each Fair Pay Agreement and that would be extended to cover both employees and dependent contractors.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
SUMMER 2020
Protection for dependent contractors is set to increase, with Labour extending collective bargaining and other employment rights to include dependent contractors, including allowing contractors to require written contracts, and introducing a duty of good faith for dealings between contracting parties. Other likely changes affecting employees include increased sick leave entitlements from five to 10 days per year, increased minimum wage rate from $18.90 to $20 per hour in 2021 and a new public holiday recognising Matariki.
Labour also intends to simplify the Holidays Act 2003. This news provides a glimmer of hope for employers and unions battling with the complexity of the current legislation. This change has been on the agenda since early in Labour’s last term. The government established a Holidays Act Taskforce in May 2018, and it has apparently delivered its recommendations to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety. We are yet to see the report, so it appears to be a case of ‘watch this space’.
