Coming up in 2022We're at the end of another super challenging year. Once again a year of disruptive new precedents being set, the longest lockdown yet and Government mandating most of the workforce to become vaccinated. We've also seen a huge push-back against the vaccine with a vast amount of misinformation being circulated and fictitious medical exemptions being available for purchase online. We've seen many Employers being faced with a 20 page anti-vax rant stating they're in breach of the Nuremberg Code, and that they must personally guarantee the future well-being of the employee and their families if they take the vaccination.
Hopefully at least, some slightly smoother times in the coming year with expectations set under the new COVID-19 Protection Framework and a largely innoculated population. However, without a shadow of a doubt it will be another year of changes from the Government.
We expect to see Immigration NZ roll out their long awaited Accredited Employer Work Visa in 2022 and the advent of the Government's promised "Fair Pay Agreements" (FPAs). BusinessNZ has already made a strong position by publicly refusing to work with the Government on these calling FPAs "unlawful compulsory national pay agreements" and saying it actually removes the autonomy and fairness from the workplace and implements a fixed and inflexible environment least capable of embracing a modern dynamic workplace needed to deal with modern day challenges, least of all COVID-19.
A Bill has been introduced to Parliament which extends the 90 day period in which to raise a personal grievance for the basis of sexual harassment, but the Bill proposing paid time off to attend school interviews has been dropped. However, this is likely to appear again in some other form with a new Holidays Act Bill in the coming year also.
We sincerely hope you all manage to get some down time to relax over the festive period and manage to re-charge ready for 2022.
Merry Christmas from your Team at Employers Assistance |