Despite legal requirements that all employees have a written employment agreement, thousands of New Zealand employees are still working without one, a recent survey by Statistics New Zealand has showed.
The survey has shown that almost one in 10 employees do not have their terms and conditions in writing. Casual and part-time employees are the worst affected with one third of them reporting they have no employment agreement compared to only 6.4 percent of full time employees.
Forestry, fishing and farming industries are the least compliant, with construction, accommodation and the food sector coming in a close second. The most compliant industry appears to be financial services.
The penalties for non-compliance are harsh, and thanks to recently-passed amendments to the Employment Relations Act, the inspectorate can now impose fines of $1,000 for each breach up to a maximum of $20,000 over a three-month period – plus extra for having no records.
It’s a no brainer that these agreements should be in place. If you do not have written employment agreements in place and require assistance, get in touch with Shima Grice today.