BEVS

Well wonderful.

There is the enforced two week shut down for tradies each year which you need your holiday pay for even though you won't be holidaying due to it being high season ........and then there is the sudden extra week or so tagged on the end of that where there is apparently no work organised or available and so it is suddenly unpaid time from work.... again !!!!.


I'm a bit cross.

jmh

Sorry to hear that Bevs. These sort of working practices are seeping into other sectors too. It's hard to plan the family budget when you don't know what income is coming in.

Mark Smith

I work in the healthcare sector and don't welcome 2 weeks of unpaid leave as well. The next 6 weeks will be very quiet as lots of people have left town for holidays, not great if you are self employed. Also a thumbs down.

barnsleymat

Yes it's bloody annoying. Thankfully I've just got a new job at the University that I start a week today.

In my last job I brought up how ridiculous it is I only get 20 holiday days a year and to cover Christmas I have to use 11 of those days to cover the shut down period. I explained to them if I wanted to go home to visit family id have to take unpaid leave which I couldn't afford so a trip home was never on the cards.

Anyway a few days later after telling them how piss poor the holiday situation was I handed in my notice. In my new job I get 5 weeks holiday and I'm not forced to waste these at Christmas, a time of year I don't want off.

Christmas shutdown my arse

northeastlad

Eh?! That's just daft. Basically does you over every year. Shouldn't have to take unpaid leave just to go home (or because of forced shut down!).

scrubbedexpat094

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I'm 'off' NZ at present!

BEVS

I love this phrase

Yup ! Done over again & from what jmh has written , is becoming a more common practice.

The complete lack of warning gets me. No advance notice at all. Mr BEVS turns up for work as per a good employee should and there is none.

It also has a knock-on effect on lowering any holiday pay that becomes due as hol pay is not based on actual hourly rate .

Robbie2010

Why the moan? There's no difference between that and the "Factory fortnight" we used to have in the UK.

barnsleymat

I've worked in the print industry all my life and know a lot of people that do the same and I've never been forced to have Christmas off until moving here. It wouldn't be as bad if all NZ employers gave you 25 days holiday but most only give 20.

jmh

I don't agree with the situation Bev's husband finds himself in but as a business owner myself I understand why people shut down over Christmas. I work through Christmas and between 20 Dec and 5 Jan I had one phone call. It's hardly worth the effort. On the Monday 6 Jan I had 7 calls as everybody returned to work, and I'm flat out this week. If I was paying staff I wouldn't have them in over such a slow period.

It's one of the unique things about having Christmas fall in the peak summer holidays. If you're coming to NZ and object to having time off at Christmas you need to consider contract work or self employment so you can select your leave.

Persephone

That's such a pain, feel sorry for you BEVS

It depends on what you do as well.
I am lucky in that my occupation can never shut down for two weeks or even a day come to think of it. Someone has to work and the 27th Dec is a normal working day for us. I couldn't cope with that enforced time off.

wakeride

its all the same in the uk for people in trade or construction we shut down from the 20th to the 6th this year at least its good weather in nz rather than all rain here

barnsleymat

My previous 2 employers have made staff have at least 3 weeks off, so when you only get 4 weeks holiday a year it makes the next 11 months drag.

BEVS

We've got rain matey & plenty of it right now .

My issue is the sudden 3rd week of shut down. I budgeted & planned for the fortnight . It's a pain and a waste of annual leave for us , especially if caught for the 24/7 on-call phone.

As has been said , the dates over Christmas and NY are something of a pilgrimage time here in NZ and very similar to Paris emptying out over August for the month long sojourn.
People here have Christmas Day as a home based family day and then head on out to the campgrounds or to visit extended family around NZ/OZ.

I remember the factory fortnight back in the early 70's. It was July/August when the kids were off school.

Unfortunately Mr BEVS cannot take contract work nor self-employment under the terms of his license and his employment agreement. We're working on that one.

BEVS

Thanks Persephone.
We were trying to save the residual paid leave time for this coming August. It was part of a saving plan to do something a bit special then.

Ah well. Back to the drawing board.