Minimum sick leave entitlement proposed to increase from 2021
The Government has introduced the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill to increase the minimum employee sick leave entitlement from 5 days per year to 10 days per year.
With the introduction of the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill, eligible employees will soon be entitled to 10 days of sick leave per year. The Bill will come into effect two months after it’s passed as a law.
The Bill proposes that:
- the maximum amount of unused sick leave that an employee can be entitled to under the Act will remain 20 days
- every employee would be entitled to 10 days’ sick leave each year (provided they qualify based on the existing conditions), regardless of their working pattern
- employees will receive the increased entitlement on their next sick leave entitlement date after the law commences (rather than all employees receiving the additional sick leave on the same day).
The Education and Workforce Committee is asking for public submissions on the Bill and the closing date for the submissions is Thursday, 28 January 2021.
Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill – New Zealand Legislation (external link)
