CRACKDOWN: The milk goes out, but are the wages coming in?PHOTO/FILE
CRACKDOWN: The milk goes out, but are the wages coming in?PHOTO/FILE
A Government inspection team is disappointed at the level of employment law non-compliance among dairy farms during a four-month inspection across New Zealand.
Between December 2013 and early April 2014, 44 farms were visited, with 31 found in breach of minimum-employment rights.
There were 17 employment breaches in the lowerNorth Island/Marlborough area. No separate figures were available for Wairarapa.
The inspection is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's national dairy strategy.
Central region manager Kris Metcalf says the visits were part of a long-term operation, with particular focus on a practice involving the seasonal averaging of salaries and the failure to keep accurate time and wage records.
"The level of non-compliance is disappointing, with most of the breaches relating to insufficient record keeping.
"Farmers need to keep accurate time and wage records to ensure they are meeting their obligations for minimum wage and holiday payments.
"The Labour Inspectorate has taken enforcement action in response to the identified breaches, which has resulted in 22 enforceable undertakings and one improvement notice being issued.
