New Sick Leave Reductions Will Leave Retail Workers Feeling Queasy – Workers First Union

Minister Brooke van Velden continues to find fresh ways of making life worse for New Zealand’s workers with a new sick leave policy announced today that will continue the erosion of workers’ rights under this Government and risk our country’s public health response, increase unemployment and underemployment, and disproportionately affect working women and those with long-term health issues, Workers First Union said today.

“The reduction of sick leave entitlements for part-time workers is an idiotic move that proves this Minister has no idea what it’s like to work a real job with lots of public interaction while juggling the difficulty of your children getting sick at school,” said Dennis Maga, Workers First Union General Secretary.

“There is no defensible reason for a person working part-time to have access to less sick leave than someone working full-time,” said Mr Maga. “No matter what hours you work, everyone is prone to getting sick, and especially those with kids who are more likely to be in part-time work.”

“In the retail sector, we’re already hearing that people are being forced to use up annual leave to cover periods of illness beyond their statutory leave entitlements. Those who work customer-facing roles are much more likely to become ill, and it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure they can rest and not risk spreading illness by being forced into work to make ends meet.”

Jess Fuller, a retail worker and member of the Workers First national executive, said the policy would not be warmly received by retail workers, who she said were already struggling to survive on ten days of sick leave.

“I think it’s a disaster of an idea,” said Ms Fuller. “It seems like they just don’t get what it’s like to work a retail job and deal with sick customers when you also have kids in daycare who bring home all kinds of bugs.”

“Having access to decent sick leave is one of the reasons a young mum can go back to the workforce after parental leave. I think this will just increase the number of people forced onto welfare and make more retail workers come to work sick and spread germs to customers.”

“It’s also going to compromise an already burnt-out workforce that’s struggling with low staffing levels and low pay rates in the industry.”

However, Mr Maga said that union members would largely be protected from the effects of this policy due to Collective Agreements that included 10 days of sick leave locked in, which unions would continue to negotiate for all members, whether full- or part-time, despite the Government changing statutory entitlements.

“This is part of a calculated and sustained attack on the working class to benefit rich employers and their pursuit of profit above all else,” said Mr Maga. “There is no other reason to put this policy forward.”

“Whether it’s pay deductions for partial strike actions, changing contractor laws to benefit companies like Uber, or removing protections for unjustified dismissal; this is a ‘trickle up’ Government that reallocates power and wealth from workers to their bosses.”

“It’s like we learned nothing from the Covid pandemic, despite all of the well-wishing and ‘essential heroes’ talk of the time, which clearly meant nothing to the selfish and exploitative ACT Party, who want all labour to be disposable and docile.”

Mr Maga said unions were already planning major protests against this Government’s removal of hard-won workers’ rights, and policies like the one announced today would help to drive turnout and increase union membership among part-time workers.