3:00 PM Tuesday Dec 1, 2009

Employment laws covering contract workers are to be reviewed, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson said today.

The laws, called continuity of employment provisions, affect industries such as cleaning, food and laundry services where work was often contracted and changes to contracts can create restructuring or redundancy situations.

It is a provision of the Employment Relations Act that they must be reviewed after three years, and they were last amended in 2006.

Ms Wilkinson said the review would be a chance for employers and employees to offer feedback on how the laws were working.

It will also look at employee protection provisions that are required to be added to an employment contract when a business is restructuring.

A discussion document for the review is expected to be released in February, with submissions closing at the end of March.

Reference: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10612805