7 November 2002

Greens urge Labour to back four weeks holiday

The Green Party today reiterated its support for four weeks holiday for all workers and challenged the Labour Party to stick to its own policy and principles and do the same.

"The Greens campaigned hard throughout the election on our policy of four weeks annual leave for all workers and we are delighted that Matt Robson's private member's bill which seeks to do this has been drawn from the ballot," said Green Employment Spokesperson Sue Bradford.

"The Greens will be vigorously supporting this bill and we will be taking every opportunity to challenge every member of the Labour Party to honour their own original policy of four weeks annual leave."

Ms Bradford said it was core issues such as holidays for workers that had traditionally defined the Labour Party and she warned that working New Zealanders would consider a Labour vote against this bill as a betrayal.

"We were dreadfully disappointed by Steve Maharey's pre-election commitment to Business New Zealand not to increase the current three weeks of annual leave. We see this bill as an opportunity for Labour to redeem itself in the eyes of workers.

"I also challenge National and every other party in the House to support this bill. Given that we are already so far behind the rest of the world in the provision of holidays for workers giving working families one more week of leave is really the least this parliament can do.

"Labour will vote against this bill at their own peril," she said.

ENDS

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