Resolving Employment Conflicts

Employees and employers alike have their own set of rights; these keep everyone satisfied with the current arrangement of their company.

Companies have to abide by rights of employees such as fair dismissal, holiday pay, number of sick leaves and the minimum wage for certain types of jobs.

Worker dismissal must be fair and follow a reasonable process, if it does not, it fails to uphold employee rights. An employer must show substantive evidence and follow due process before firing someone. Grounds for dismissal include, but not limited to: poor performance, grave misconduct, misconduct after repeated warnings, abandonment of employment and redundancy.

In cases of redundant jobs, IR Thompson makes sure that an employer follows redundancy process in NZ before terminating an employee.

The ordinary weekly pay is everything that a worker earns during the week. This includes regular allowances, overtime, incentive-based payments and the equivalent cash value of lodgings.

For a majority of employees, they get a minimum of five days paid sick leaves each year after the first six months of their employment and an extra five after each 12 month period.

New Zealand has an adult minimum wage for employees 16 years old and above, but are not new entrants or trainees.

IR Thompson has the experience and knowledge about each aspect of employment law to provide assistance to prospective clients in need of clarification or legal service in resolving issues.

Training for Employers

Employers need to have an understanding of the overall concept of employment law to avoid potential conflicts with their employees regarding dismissal, holiday pay, minimum wage or other employee rights in NZ.

IR Thompson provides customised training programs for the following topics:

1. Employment Law
2. The Disciplinary Process
3. Employment Agreements
4. Holidays Act 2003
5. Avoiding Personal Grievances

The firm also has other training programs to improve the practice of employers.

IR Thompson is an experienced law firm that draws upon their extensive knowledge to provide clients with the best possible legal advice on different employment matters.

For prospective clients, whether employers or employees, who need to resolve employment issues, visit the IR Thompson Associates Ltd website for more information.