Andrew Little

By Vaughan Elder of NZPA

Wellington, May 27 NZPA - One of New Zealand's largest unions says workers should be compensated when either Anzac Day or Waitangi Day fall on a weekend.

The call comes as both days fell on weekends this year, causing workers to miss out on both holidays.

Workers will miss out on the holidays again next year as Anzac Day coincides with Easter Monday and Waitangi Day once again falls on a weekend.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) assistant secretary Bill Newson told NZPA that the situation, where people can lose either one or both holidays, needed to be fixed.

"We're not asking for any more, or any increase in public holidays, we're just asking that we don't lose public holidays," he said

"The reason for that is because annual leave in New Zealand is fairly far down the ranking of OECD countries anyway... so those public holidays, in our view, make up an important part of overall paid leave for New Zealand workers."

When Anzac Day or Waitangi Day fell on a weekend workers should be given either a day in lieu or have a statutory holiday on the next Monday, he said.

However, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson was not interested.

"I'm not in favour of Mondayising Anzac Day, I think it's a very special day for New Zealanders, it's not just a holiday."

Several states in Australia have the holiday on a Monday.

"I'm not going to comment on what the Australians do or don't do. I am looking at what New Zealanders do and I think Anzac Day is a special day for New Zealand."

The EPMU said it respected the Returned and Services Association's wish that Anzac Day should be commemorated on April 25, he said.

"We don't want to detract from the sanctity of the days themselves."

Bridget Smith, an employment lawyer at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, said employers would not want to pay workers extra money for the holidays in the current economic climate.

"If you asked a lot of businesses at the moment they would say we just can't afford the additional cost," she said.

She said people who did not work Mondays missed out on holidays such as Labour Day and Queens Birthday weekend, which always fell on a Monday.

Mr Newson said the EPMU would be bringing up the issue when it starts negotiating the Metal and Manufacturing Industry agreement next week.

This agreement was a "benchmark agreement" and would influence other union negotiations he said.

A spokesman from the Employers and Manufacturers Association said they were unwilling to make comment on the issue, saying it was a matter for individual employers to discuss in union negotiations.