Bo-Jangles

Because when you take that job with a 'factory fortnight' you usually accept this in the terms and condition of the job and know what you're getting yourself into from the start and can be planned for with the rest of the family. Here it seems employers can decide at will, with barely a weeks notice (yes that happened to us) that they are shutting down and everyone is to take leave. Then too late for other family members to take time off, or make plans to go somewhere and actually make use of the time to have a bloomin holiday.

Robbie2010

If you had read the post I quoted by barnsleymat you would have seen that it was exactly like the factory fortnight and was not sprung on him at the last minute!

barnsleymat

I lived in England for 35 years and I've never heard of the factory fortnight, I've lived here 2 n half years and nearly everyone I know has to take forced holidays at Christmas.

Robbie2010

Probably because there aren't many factories nowadays. It was usually the last week in July, first week in August.

LauraNotts

I had to work the lot, nursing for you, but the place is so EMPTY!

And while we're on strange leave practices...accrued annual leave????? Why? Why?????? It makes planning holidays so much harder. When I said back in the UK I just get my full allowance and plan the whole year they looked at me like I'd just said I had moon cheese on toast for breakfast.

Bellasmum

This thread is a timely reminder to those applying for jobs to ensure they ask prospective employers about the details of the holiday policy in their contracts. Our field staff contracts noted that there would be no business the two days between Christmas and New Year and they would be required to take AL on those days. Managers get those two days as paid days off because they only get 20 days AL. Field staff get 25 days.

Don't let an employer "forget" to tell you the hidden facts in your contract or change the rules once you have signed. Keep them honest and ask questions.

If you are planning an overseas holiday give them plenty of notice in writing.


Annual holidays

All employees are entitled to at least four weeks’ paid holidays a year.

Employees get their annual holiday entitlements on their first and subsequent anniversaries after starting work.

Some agreements may provide for one or more “additional” weeks of holidays on top of the statutory entitlement.

Annual holidays can be taken at any time agreed between the employer and the employee. Employees must be given the opportunity to take at least two of the four weeks’ holidays continuously, if they wish to do so.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/holidaysan...eave/index.asp

Hazelnut

Both husband and I have an enforced two week break over Chriatmas and have to use annual leave for it when the UK weather's too miserable to do anything. We do know about it in advance though and it's never added to. We also both have five weeks holiday a year.

Do you have to work a full year in most NZ jobs before you can take leave or does it start accruing from when you start work, for example if you have worked a month do you get three or so days leave?

Stormer999

The whole of the Automotive industry and related trades had the Two week shut down in the Midlands for all of the years I can remember through my years working as Robbie has said end July/start August. Coventry area had a 1 week stagger from the Birmingham shut down to allow people road space and accomodation space when it came about. 10-14 days of the factory 4 weeks holiday entitlement was enforced during the Xmas period to avoid the stop start situation of the two holidays (Xmas+New Year)and savings on heating during this cold part of the year. In later years at the company cells were set up to feed different car manufacturers parts from dedicated areas and these individual cells then shutdown to correspond with that particular car maker... all part of the "Just in time" supply system where the manufacturers would not carry 'stock' of parts.
As Works Engineer I had to look after the factory at the Xmas shutdown and hated the time as we always ended up with burst water mains as we had shut down all heating to save money and everything froze solid!
As 90% of engineering in the Midlands was Automotive related then you can related that the whole lot just stopped at the same time!

Tom1983

Once you start your work, you start building your annual leave up - think that's how most NZ companies work.

BEVS

It's accrued throughout the first year of work & becomes due at that point. This is known as your 'anniversary'.

Holiday pay is a proportion of total annual earnings and is not based on an hourly/weekly rate.

MrsFychan

from our experience it depends on the Company, something you need to discuss/negotiate when you are talking contracts.
Husband latest job contract read as if he had to work a year to be entitled to holiday. he got that changed.

pornopants

That is indeed a pain. We are going back to the UK for 8 weeks in Aug/Sep and my wife who is a teacher has to take unpaid leave for 6 of the weeks. This will affect her holiday pay for the next 12 months!!!! Similar for women on maternity leave, they accrue the leave but it is worthless as the holiday pay is paid on the average weekly wage for the previous 12 months.

My boss wants me to force people to take leave when we are not busy, but I just cant do it.....maybe I am not built to be a manager

Barnsley Mat, you are from Baaaarnsley and you have never heard of the pit/factory weeks? Huge numbers of places used to shut down......until the pits were shut down permanently.

jmh

There are exceptions to this - an employer can choose to average the past four weeks under certain circumstances. I'm involved in training payroll staff and I come across this quite a bit in seasonal businesses:

http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/holidaysan...ve/payment.asp

If your working hours are non-standard you need to check your contract and get clarification if necessary. The advantage of this system is that regular overtime and commission payments will bring up your hourly rate for holidays.

jmh

Expats can turn that into an advantage though. You can accrue leave and take it the following year, so you could add two or three years leave entitlement for that trip back to blighty. Or maybe a combination of accrued and upaid leave.

I remember when I moved to the UK in the 80s being annoyed that I had to take my leave in one year. In those days we only got two weeks a year!!

BEVS

Yes. They do this for teaching assistants with irregular hours, secret shoppers and the like.

[QUOT=jmhE]Expats can turn that into an advantage though. You can accrue leave and take it the following year, so you could add two or three years leave entitlement for that trip back to blighty. Or maybe a combination of accrued and upaid leave.[/quote]

Would just love to be able to do that and it is what we have tried to do in the past , as Mr BEVS still needs to return home to spend quality time with his very elderly Mum. Trouble is the employer has other ideas