Luscombe said employers could pay staff less than their normal wage, and top it up with annual holidays, only if employees consented to this and were given a reasonable amount of time to consider their options. Employers that forced workers to take annual leave during the lockdown, without genuine consultation and less than 14 days notice, acted unlawfully, she said.
Have you been affected? Get in touch anuja.nadkarni@stuff.co.nz H&M told staff it would apply for the wage subsidy if it was eligible but was awaiting details from the Ministry of Social Development on how to apply for the latest round.
Luscombe said employers could pay staff less than their normal wage, and top it up with annual holidays, but only if employees agreed to this. Businesses taking the wage subsidy were expected to top up the wage subsidy to at least 80 per cent of the workers’ salary if they could afford to. The Wage Subsidy Scheme would also be available to businesses that had experienced a 40 per cent drop in revenue over a 14-day period, compared to a typical fortnightly revenue period in the six weeks before the rise in alert level.
Unsplash
Generic image: file photo, work from home, pets, cat, couch, ipad, illustrator, home office.
RNZ
Auckland businesses are crying out for a return to normality, as the city enters its week under Alert Level 2 restrictions (first published February 22). Luxottica New Zealand director James Melton emailed the company’s Auckland staff on Tuesday, February 16, the day after a snap level 3 lockdown came into force in the city. The business was required to close its OPSM stores in Auckland during the three-day lockdown, he said. “We understand the impact these situations can have on our people and we want to do what we can to support you through this period. “We will be guaranteeing our permanent employees a minimum 25 per cent of contracted hours. We will work with each employee on an individual basis for what this means for them.”