National’s 100 day plan

We have a new government and, subject to the nuances of who the National Party will partner with, they have a pre stated 100 day plan.  Changes in the employment arena cover two primary legislation changes. It is intended to reintroduce the 90 day trial period for all employers and to repeal the ‘Fair Pay Agreements’ legislation.

For the 90 day trial period it is anticipated this will simply extend the current requirements to organisations of all sizes. Currently it is limited to those with less than 20 employees.

Repealing the Fair Pay Agreement legislation may be a little more complex as there are currently negotiations at various stages or bargaining has been initiated for over 200,000 employees. There seems little point for these negotiations to continue, however, if an agreement was reached for a particular sector or industry prior to the legislation being repealed, it begs the question of how any new, advantageous terms and conditions could be rolled back for those affected employees. There may be a rush to try and reach agreements before any legislative changes.

Watch this space.