The bill aimed at replacing New Zealand's Holidays Act 2003 has passed first reading at Parliament, opening the legislation for feedback from employers and other interested parties.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced the development on the Employment Leave Bill on Thursday.

"I am proud of the significant progress made already to have legislation ready and available for public feedback – a milestone successive Ministers tried but failed to reach," the minister said.

"I especially encourage people with technical expertise to make a submission and help ensure this legislation is workable for decades to come."

New Employment Leave Bill

The new Employment Leave Bill has been introduced as a replacement for the current Holidays Act 2003, which has earned a reputation for being "complex" and "confusing" among employers.

Confusion surrounding the Holidays Act has led to huge remediation costs for employers, including Health NZ, which is currently repaying thousands of current and former employees following compliance issues with the legislation.

"The Employment Leave Bill will bring simplicity and logic to the way employment leave is calculated, which benefits businesses by saving them time and money when calculating their payroll obligations, and prevents headaches for both employers and employees from getting payments wrong," Van Velden said.

"This Bill responds directly to what I've heard since coming into office: businesses are overwhelmed by...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2wFBVV95cUxOOGdFTzViWll2ZmpuWmNEb05L...