Is the point still being missed on Novopay?

Wednesday March 20th, 2013



We hear a lot from Government and school principals' spokespeople on Novopay. But why are we still not hearing from affected school staff about what is being done to exercise their rights?

All employees in every occupation in New Zealand have the right to recover wages under the Employment Relations Act 2000. The big story, surely, is why this is not happening.

The Government is not the employer in the Novopay fiasco. It has no duty to pay school staff under employment law. Nor does it have any liability for non payment.

Each school board of trustees is the employer. Nothing appears to be under way to recover payment by affected employees.

Therefore it is unrealistic to believe school staff unions can expect to any chance of success claiming compensation from Government under the employment jurisdiction.

If each individual school staff member took legal action for breach and recovery of wages the Government would have to pay more than $6million to liable school Boards to cover the cost.
- Phillip de Wattignar

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