"The simultaneous call from Bradford's Greens and Harre's Alliance for four weeks annual leave is short-sighted and reckless," says Libertarianz spokesman for the deregulation of welfare, Lindsay Mitchell.

"Since this Labour/Alliance government took office, compliance costs to the average small business have risen by $26,000. This already includes legislated increased statutory holiday pay," Mitchell continues. "Employers are saying they cannot absorb further increases and when profits drop, jobs go."

"If this change is legislated an employee who has absolutely no interest in four weeks paid annual leave might find themselves faced with fifty- two weeks unpaid leave!" adds an appalled Mitchell.

"With 21% of working-age people on benefits, some 250,000 New Zealand businesses are the best hope we have for the extra jobs we desparately need," says Mitchell. "But the Greens and Alliance are not concerned about causing unemployment because beneficiaries provide guaranteed votes for them. Neither are they concerned about the tragedy of trapping people on benefits who would dearly like to be working 50, 51 or 52 weeks a year!"

"Laila Harre's claim that there will be no increased costs to employers is totally fallacious and dishonest, " says Mitchell. "She says that productivity will rise before and after the holiday therefore output remains unchanged. Perhaps she is unaware that the most common occupation in New Zealand is sales assistant. Retail businesses are currently running so tightly that they cannot afford to be a staff member down for a week. Replacement staff will have to be hired. What about the service industries, factory workers, public transport operators, council service providers ?" asks Mitchell. "Laila's flawed hypothesis can't even be applied to bureaucrats who actually produce nothing to begin with!"

"With the country stuck at a 21st ranking out of 30 OECD countries we simply cannot afford four weeks annual leave. But even more importantly, private and voluntary agreements between employers and employees are none of the government's business."

"This vote-catcher is a brazen and desparate move, particularly by Harre's Alliance, to save their bacon at the next election. New Zealanders should not be sucked in by such shameless and shallow electioneering."

"It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!"

ENDS

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