Wong Pansy: Holidays Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Wong Pansy: Holidays Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:614;Page:10546] 
PANSY WONG (National) 
: 
 Part 3 of the Holidays Bill deals with enforcement and other matters. So it is about enforcing the legislation and setting out who does what. But how will Department of Labour inspectors be able to go out and enforce the legislation when their political masters are lacking discipline? Let us examine this point. The Hon Roger Sowry put a question to the Hon Steve Maharey as to why Labour had continued to say it would not be introducing the legislation in this term in office. Steve Maharey said that Labour did not think employers at this time were in a position to take on 4 weeks’ annual leave in addition to other changes in their environment. How can employees of a Government department set out to enforce the provisions of the holidays legislation when they know that their political masters are a bunch of people who do not know how to tell the truth? 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: How many employees would that member have? 
PANSY WONG 
: I invite the chatty Minister of Immigration to take a call and have her say instead of chipping away. If Government members have something worthwhile to say they should take a call and use their own time. 
Let us come back to the Holidays Bill. I looked through Part 3 and tried to find out whether when the inspectors from the Department of Labour go into places to inspect records etc. they will also enforce the provision that employees who continuously take sick leave—for more than 3 days—should provide a medical certificate. Where is the level playing field? I understood that this legislation was supposed to be conducted in good faith. We have heard an abundance of comments from Labour members but they have never trusted employers because as my capable colleagues—like the Hon David Carter—have pointed out they have never been one! So the Government does not know how employers actually behave. All that it has are those very out-of-date employer-employee barriers—that is they do not trust each other. I would like the Minister of Labour Margaret Wilson to take a call and say whether the enforcement provision would be carried out even-handedly on both parties: both on employers who carry out their obligations in good faith and on employees who for their part also have to oblige. 
I move to the provisions about enforcement and other matters in Part 3. I would like the Minister to take a call and reassure the public that the minority Labour Government believes that the enforcement of this legislation will lead to economic growth. The Rt Hon Prime Minister who said that she would always tell the truth be transparent and have integrity promised that the Labour Government would return New Zealand to the top half of the OECD. I invite the Minister to take a call and say whether the enforcement of this holidays legislation will assist New Zealand on to the path back to the top half of the OECD. Of course we would also like the Minister to answer some questions as to how many additional inspectors will be employed in order to visit all the workplaces and check on holiday records.