Third Green bill for 2007 passes
Sue Kedgley’s Flexible Working Hours Bill was passed last night, establishing a new employment right for any employee with caring responsibilities to ask for changes to their hours or place of work, and have that request considered. Meanwhile in Britain, where similar legislation has now been in place for 4 years, all the major political parties are supporting it and looking to extend the right to request flexible working to larger groups of workers.
Even though the legislation only requires employers to listen to requests, and does not compel them to agree to those requests Britons seem to agree that merely the introduction of the right to request has helped in making flexible working more of a social norm.
Now it seems, in Wales at least, where:
42% of new dads… don’t always make the effort to get home in time for baby’s bath and bed routine, while more than a quarter (28%) admit they rarely or never get up in the night to comfort their crying baby – even though 14% of new mums said this is top of their wish-list.
the next step is to encourage more fathers share that caring responsibility more evenly, make that request for flexible work hours, and spend more time with their families.
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Does anyone else see the irony in the post’s title? Tell me what were the other two “green” bills?
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
1 - The Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill passed its Third Reading in Parliament on 5 September 2007.
2 - The Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill passed its third Reading in Parliament on 16 May 2007
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
So much enviromental rhetoric, but when we look at your track record all you do is force through social engineering bills…
Basicly I can now go up to an employer and say: I want to work from 9am-4pm on thursday and friday and even if they dont need me they have to hire me. Thats the road we are going down.
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Nick
Why worry, this is simply another feel good piece of social engineering, I can just see this…
“Boss, can I talk to you about flexible working hours”
“Sure, what do you want to ask”
“I would like to work from home if possible”
“Don’t you think that might be a little difficult given that we are a retail operation?”
This piece of legislation is a waste of time, all employers need to do is pretend to give consideration to the request and then deny it.
November 22nd, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Say good by to buying goods, or doing having anything done for you outside the hours of 8am-5pm weekdays. If the greens have their way everyone could choose exactly when they wanted to work and New Zealand would shut down on weekends and after 5pm.
November 22nd, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Well done Greenies. Somebody has to walk the walk when it comes to supporting workers and their families in NZ.
Something else for you to whip up histeria about big bro and co.
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:51 am
if any males wanting to know why they should raise their children/use flexitime as much as possible….
i have a bit of a track record in that area..
and i feel so privileged to have spent the last thirteen years focussed on raising my son..
the delights have been many..and are ongoing..
he is a young man now..and i find i am having to re-jig..but that’s fine..
(and before that the years i spent raising my daughter..)
and apart from everything else..i owe my daughter a debt of gratitude..
‘cos it is because of her..i stopped being a junkie..
when the responsibility of caring for her was handed/forced on me..
i knew there was no way i could attend to the inherent demands of both..with any degree of success..
(both are fairly full-time..and don’t mix at all well..)
so i came off ‘the nasty’..and stayed off..
and…i know that many men have not..and will not ever..experience what i have..
(the childraising..!..not the junk..you don’t need to do that..)
and that’s more than kinda sad..
so guys..grab this new right with both hands..
tip the hat to sue kedgley..for making it happen..
and meet your nipper at the school-gate..and walk home with them..
go and hang out in borders/the library with them..
just ‘be with them’.. really
(ahem..!..theschool gate meeting would not be appreciated by your average 13 yr
old..i hasten to add..
he’s past that now..
mates rule..!
(and this is as it should be..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
November 23rd, 2007 at 1:02 am
phil, that was a post well worth reading.
But why did Frog make no mention of the environmental benefits of flexible working hours? Aren’t the Greens going to take the credit for reducing peak hour congestion (on roads and buses)? Or have the Greens become accidental environmentalists?
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Phul
How can somebody who bludges off the tax payer claim to have a track record with flexitime?
Seems that the rest of us have been paying for you to raise your kids for the last fifteen years.
When I am elected PM people like you will not have that choice.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:40 am
“..When I am elected PM people like you will not have that choice..”
(aww..!!..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
November 28th, 2007 at 12:02 am
I have flexible working hours in my current job. It is really convenient when you need to take the kids to the doctor etc. Obviously flexible working hours are not suited to all jobs, but I reckon the concept should be encouraged as much as possible … it makes for happier (and potentially more productive) workers.