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The National Party calls on the government to push its Covid-19 leave plan to cover 100 percent of lost wages for most workers and to pay employees directly.
Currently, employees who are unable to work and self-isolate at home are eligible for a maximum of $ 1,176 for the full two-week period, if they work full time.
The scheme would allow workers to claim up to twice the “average weekly earnings in ordinary time” rate, which was $ 1,289 in the December quarter. That would mean that the maximum amount that could be claimed would be $ 2,578 per week, or $ 5,156 for fifteen days in self-isolation.
It would avoid employers who currently have to apply for the money. National is presenting the policy as a small price to pay, compared to the significant costs of level 3 locks.
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ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Chris Bishop, National Covid-19 Recovery Spokesperson.
National’s Covid-19 recovery spokesperson Chris Bishop said the two-week payment would be made in a lump sum, up front, in the same way that the wage subsidy scheme has been claimed.
The new policy comes when it was discovered that at least two people who tested positive for Covid-19 in recent outbreaks spent time at work.
The proposed scheme has been deliberately designed so that the vast majority of self-isolating individuals continue to earn what they usually did, Bishop said.
National’s policy has found common cause with the Greens and the labor movement.
Stuff revealed on Monday that the current government support scheme in place for those in self-isolation had paid only $ 19.1 million, some $ 100 million under budget since it was established during the start of Covid last year.
The current leave scheme pays $ 1,176.60 is paid well below sick leave (which would be paid with a normal salary or wage rate) and even the minimum wage that would make beneficiaries receive $ 1,512 per fortnight.
“Self-isolation is increasingly becoming a requirement due to government failures at the border, yet New Zealand workers pay the price,” said National Leader Judith Collins.
“National wants to make sure people can do the right thing with the least amount of financial hassle.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has urged companies to “top up” the amount received from payment to full pay to encourage workers to stay home.
He also told the media on Monday that the government would consider raising the rate if companies constantly told them that the money was not enough, but that this had not happened so far.
CTU Chief Economist Craig Renney said Things on Monday that the scheme was designed at a different point in time and should now be more generous
“The CTU recognizes that the Covid-19 License Support Plan was written at a time when the country anticipated high levels of Covid-19 illness in our communities. Fortunately, that situation has not arisen, ”Renney said.
“Just as the government has been adept at changing the configuration of the Salary Subsidy Scheme in the past, changes to the Leave Support Scheme and the Short-Term Absence Pay Scheme could make it a more useful tool in the fight the virus “.
“Our plan is a sensible investment. The lockdowns cost the New Zealand economy $ 500 million a week in Auckland alone. Avoiding them should be our top priority, ”Bishop said.
Yesterday, the Greens also asked the Government “to assess how the Covid-19 license support plan can be improved, distributed and better enforced.”
“We need people to be able to afford to stay home and not work when they need to isolate themselves. If this means the plan needs to be more generous, we will absolutely support it. ”Greens spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said.
“We should also explore whether workers should be able to apply for financial support directly, so that it is not left to employers, who may not apply or withhold payment,” he said.
