Staff working too hard says MP

Labour MP Darien Fenton.

Labour MP Darien Fenton is calling on stressed out workers to pull back from the grind of long hours at the office.

She is using Labour Day to voice her concerns over the lack of formal legislation on the number of hours staff can be expected to work each day.

New Zealand was one of the first countries where an eight-hour working day became the norm, but the Labour Day Act of 1899 only enshrines the annual public holiday in law. She says the reality now is that New Zealand has a culture of long working hours and it is not doing anyone any good. She claims workers are pressured into feeling that if they do not work extra time for free, they will not be respected.

Ms Fenton says the time has come to change the way people think about how many hours they should be working. She believes employers should also take a good hard look at how much work they throw at staff.

Ms Fenton is asking her colleagues to consider drafting legislation to put in place work time regulations.

- NEWSTALK ZB