Bradford Sue: Holidays (Four Weeks Annual Leave) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Bradford Sue: Holidays (Four Weeks Annual Leave) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:12657] 
SUE BRADFORD (Green) 
: 
 Although the Holidays (Four Weeks Annual Leave) Bill under discussion this afternoon is about to disappear into the parliamentary ether I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Matt Robson on his persistence in pushing the issue of 4 weeks’ leave through all the processes and on achieving his original goal even though workers will have to wait an unconscionably long time for that to happen. 
Just before Christmas last year members passed the Holidays Bill into law ensuring that from April 2007 New Zealand will finally catch up with the modern world in enabling all workers to have a minimum of 4 weeks’ annual leave per year as of right. Although this could not have happened without the support of the Labour Party and the Green Party I do not know that we would have got there at all in terms of this term of Parliament anyway without the impetus of Matt Robson’s member’s bill. I also know that the Progressive party and the Greens along with many union people share a disappointment that the commencement date for the 4-week minimum is so far off. However at least we were able to get this far and I think one of the most critical things for voters to remember at the next election is that it is entirely possible that National would repeal this bill should it come to power in 2005. 
I do not know how many National MPs party members and supporters are themselves subject to the confines of a mere 3 weeks’ holiday per year but they seem to be happy enough to accept that a large percentage of the workforce should have to put up with it in the interests of keeping some business interests happy. Like every other party in Parliament these days some National members have a lot to say at times about the importance of family life bringing up children well and parents taking more responsibility for the babies they bring into the world. We can all agree on that but when it comes to things like how we can create a more reasonable and family-friendly balance between work and life at home with the kids it is a whole different story. These days with so many parents both out at work and a societal norm that says even single mothers and fathers should get back into the paid workforce as soon as possible it is even more important that all workers get that extra week’s leave as a bare minimum needed for rest recuperation and time to be with partners and children. 
Establishing a long-term balance between work and the rest of one’s life is absolutely critical not just for employees themselves and their families but also for employers as well. A rested sane person with a contented and fulfilled family life is on the whole a much more productive worker I am sure than someone who is exhausted stressed out and perhaps not enjoying the greatest of home lives. I believe as even some employers do that the direct costs of an extra week’s leave are more than offset by improvements in productivity and a better functioning labour market that encourages greater participation and equity. The large Auckland law firm Simpson Grierson carried out a survey on the Holidays Act in 1999 and discovered that more than 80 percent of employers surveyed gave their senior management staff more than 15 days’ annual leave because the employers have “accepted the importance of holidays for staff welfare”. I do not understand how anyone could believe that the welfare of non-management staff might be less important than that of their seniors. Whether the job being undertaken is cleaning or nursing accountancy or sewing or anything else the person undertaking the job is a human being and it is high time that all workers were treated on an equitable basis with regard to such a fundamental matter. 
I would like to finish by once again thanking both Matt Robson and the Labour Government for taking the big step forward of providing 4 weeks’ leave for all workers which will be great in the long run even if we do have to wait a ridiculous number of years before seeing it eventuate.