Final 2022 Update - FPA's and Christmas
Final 2022 Essential Update – 21 December 2022
In this update:
But, first and most important – keep safe and well over the holidays. You have well earned any break you get! Here’s wishing you an amazing 2023.
Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) in process
Two FPA applications have been lodged – one for Hospitality and one for Bus/Coach Drivers.
I will provide you with the details and keep you abreast of developments as they arise (no need to do anything yet). However, we have already emailed those clients we believe would be covered by one or other of these. If you believe you may be covered and have not heard from us, please get in touch.
Christmas reminders
The Christmas season brings more complex payroll scenarios. Here are a few things I am being asked (see my last update for other questions):
- Christmas Closedown and Covid
If someone contracts Covid and would have to be off work for days that they are being required to take as Annual Leave, they can convert these days to Covid days, and instead of using up annual leave, can get you to pay them the subsidy and top up with sick leave.
- Need to Change Close Down Dates
This is the same as changing any other Annual Leave – although you were able to unilaterally impose the closedown, you may not unilaterally shorten or lengthen it. Once it is in place, it is agreed annual leave – and to change it you would need agreement. It makes sense – once you have imposed it people can book holidays, and they cannot easily be changed.
- Paying stat days to those terminating employment before Christmas
You may understand that untaken annual leave gets “added” to the termination date to determine whether or not the future stat days have to be paid. But it is only untaken annual leave entitlement (i.e. earned before their last anniversary) that extends the final date. Accrued leave since the last anniversary is actually just an 8% of gross payment – it has not yet become annual leave.
Essential HR’s Christmas Closedown – on-call support
Essential HR will be closed from midday on Friday 23rd December and will reopen on Monday 9th January 2023.
Mike will be on call for urgent matters, but we will be enjoying a break and some family time so we would really appreciate it if you could hold matters until January 9. If that can’t be done, Mike will be pleased to help.
Essential HR are here to help. For ongoing help call us on – 03 3650532 (voice messages are automatically relayed to Mike), or you can contact Mike directly on 027 2808546 or mike@essentialhr.co.nz.
I’m happy for you to pass this on to others.
And if you need to conference call, we are all set up with Zoom.