Union Calls for Extension of Nine Day Fortnight

Union Calls for Extension of Nine Day Fortnight

Media release: National Distribution Union
April 20, 2009

The National Distribution Union (NDU) says the Government’s nine day fortnight scheme has been a real success at saving jobs and should be expanded.

Figures released today by Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennett showed 117 jobs had been saved by the first three employers to sign up to the scheme.

“Saving over 100 jobs in the present environment is a very worthwhile achievement and the Government should now look at expanding it to allow firms with fewer than 100 workers to apply,” says NDU President Robert Reid.

The NDU is particularly pleased at the agreement for a nine-day fortnight at Summit Wool Spinners in Oamaru.

“This agreement has meant that 57 jobs have been saved at the mill thanks to a combination of the workers cutting hours in their shift, the Government scheme and the employer agreeing to a full top up in pay for the Government scheme,” Mr Reid says.

“In the end only 48 voluntary redundancies were made when it initially looked like more than 105 workers would have to be made redundant. In a community like Oamaru, 105 job losses would have been devastating.”

“More companies should look at the scheme as an alternative to redundancies.”

Mr Reid says the NDU has been run off its feet dealing with redundancies and closures this year. He says that although Work and Income have been providing good support for redundant workers, more Government support for transitional programmes needs to be channelled through unions and community organisations.

“There were a number of ideas for transitional programmes that were discussed at the Job Summit that have still to be implemented,” he says.

ENDS

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