National's Holiday Theft Punishes Children Of The Poor

Alliance Party media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday 20 December 2009

Alliance Party industrial spokesperson Trevor Hanson says the National Government's attacks on four weeks annual leave will rip away precious family time for New Zealanders - and with a stunning lack of empathy "the grinch party" have announced their policy at Christmas time.

He says the new policy that will allow the fourth week of holidays to be "sold" was a travesty.

"The 'Minister of Grinchiness' Kate Wilkinson must be very proud of an unfair policy that punishes the children of the poor."

Mr Hanson says that allowing the fourth week of annual leave to be "cashed up" will mean hard pressed low and middle income families will be forced to give up family time while the well off will be able to afford to keep their extra holidays.

"Let alone the workers who will be told by their employers to give up their extra week and will go along with it for fear of losing their job."

He says the National Party will be responsible for the social breakdown of an overworked, stressed society where families and human beings come last and profit comes first.

"The fact is that most workers are working harder now, for longer hours, than they were a generation ago. Two income families are now the norm. Fathers and mothers and families are spending less and less time together due to casual jobs, split shifts, and 24 hour, 7 day working arrangements. It is creating a social time bomb."

He says that many workers are casualized and they are effectively missing out on any structured holidays as they are just receiving holiday pay as they go.

Mr Hanson says the only response that National has for the social problems that are evolving from the free market system they have created is to build more prisons.

The Alliance would move towards 5 weeks annual leave as a minimum, in line with the most progressive nations in Europe and Scandanavia, as well as reducing overwork through law.

"The actions of the National Government once again show them to be the enemy of all the progress New Zealand has made in creating a good country to live in."

ENDS

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