MikeF

Hi,

I work as a Network Administrator in Aberdeen Scotland and get 20 days holiday plus 8 public holidays. I am thinking about moving to work in Australia or New Zealand. What would be my
typical holiday entitilement in these countries ?

Cheers,

Mike

jandjuk

15 days is standard in NZ, but you sometimes get 4 weeks after long service and/or you or your union have negotiated your contract to have 4 weeks. In your career, I would expect many employers would throw in an extra week's holiday during salary negotiations - worth a try anyway. ie Get the salary you want first, and then ask for the extra week to seal it - otherwise you might be effectively taking a week unpaid anyway.

There are also plans to make 4 weeks compulsory, if Helen Clarke has her way.


Cut and paste alert:
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Four weeks' holidays on cards

24.10.2003
By MATHEW DEARNALEY
Prime Minister Helen Clark has given a strong signal to workers that they may get an extra week's annual holiday - but not until after the 2005 general election.

She told the Council of Trade Unions biennial conference in Wellington yesterday that it was never Labour's policy to introduce the fourth week in its present second term "because we have given priority to other initiatives benefiting workers and their families".

But, she said, the Government acknowledged the importance of adequate annual holidays, for the sake not just of workers and families but also their communities and the economy through better productivity.

She said it had been 30 years since minimum annual leave was lifted to three weeks. Australia, a competitor for skilled labour, had added a fourth week years ago.

But to the consternation of unionists, the signal came with the qualification that decisions on extra holidays, although "very close", would be for "the post-2005 period".

CTU president Ross Wilson said the fourth week should come sooner as workers were exhausted from a "huge intensification of work" in recent years.

Labour Minister Margaret Wilson said earlier that there had to be enough time to "phase in the economic consequences".

But Mr Wilson said workers had already helped to bankroll the exercise through years of accepting modest pay rises.

The National Party's industrial relations spokesman, Roger Sowry, said the Prime Minister's comments showed that the Government was running an anti-business agenda that would erode economic growth and stifle investment.

"This agenda will do nothing to improve our competitiveness, reduce business compliance costs or grow jobs and wages," he said.

Business New Zealand has estimated that an extra week off will add 2 per cent - or more than $800 million - to the country's wages bill.

But it is impossible from available statistics to tell how many of our 1.54 million wage and salary earners already get more than the statutory minimum leave.

Aside from the hint about an extra week's holiday, the Government has offered the workers' summit little of substance to celebrate over Labour Weekend.

The more than 200 delegates are profoundly disappointed that announcements of industrial law changes have been held up by Cabinet wrangling.

The Prime Minister promised that amendments to the Employment Relations Act would add new support for workers and unions wanting better good-faith bargaining.

Mr Wilson had earlier urged her to support improved conditions against "the braying and threatening" of business interests whose dire predictions about the Employment Relations Act "proved to be completely unfounded".

HiddenPaw

usually 20 days hols plus approx 10 public in Oz (PH vary from state to state - think Tas get the most)

BritboyNZ

Hmmm, economic consequences my arse. Election carrot more bloody likely. I can see it now - "Vote for us, and we'll give you an extra week leave". Sadly this means we'll be stuck with this nanny state/dictator government for another three years.

Can anyone enlighten me with any of its achievements? So far it has: abolished all rights of appeal to the Privy Council, with only a VERY slim majority in parliament. Vast majority of NZers, businesses & Maori wanted to retain appeals to the Privy Council. No refferendum on what is really a constitutional matter.

Will introduce a ban on smacking children - they say that this is to criminalise child abuse but how clearly defined will this be? I can see this happening on a regular basis - you are out shopping on a Saturday with your 4/5/6 year old who is misbehaving and being a brat. you give him/her a firm, but restrained smack and then some 'do gooder' promptly reports you to a policeman who just happens to be in the area. You then spend the rest of the afternoon at the police station explaining your actions whilst CYF (another useless govt department) gets involved. Possible court appearance for you.

Completely against public opinion, allowed the moratorium on the release of GE organisms to lapse (it lapses tomorrow) despite huge marches in all major centres. No refferrendum on this issue either.

Done bugger all to resolve Aucklands transport problems.

Run down the RNZAF - killed off the fighter command, closed Whenuapai airbase in Auckland which means search and rescue aircraft will be based, wait for it, at Ohakea right in the middle of nowhere miles from where most incidents occur (auckland/northland region/islands).

Don Brash better get his bl**dy finger out is all I will say. Anyone else think it's time we got rid of these champagne socialists?

Russ

BritboyNZ

Thought I'd apologise to Mike for 'hijaking' his thread! As you have probably read, this damn government does nothing but get on my t*ts!

15 days annual leave is the norm, as the other posters said. We get slightly more statutory (public) holidays than the UK - 11 in total. 2nd of January is a statutory holiday, which is great & allows you to sleep off the excesses of the previous couple of nights!!

List of NZ Statutory Holidays: http://www.ers.dol.govt.nz/factsheet...c_holidays.pdf

all the best,

Russ