Tamsin Woolf

Specialisation Employment law Company liable for $35,000 to compensate underpaid employees after deductions breached minimum wage laws A recent, breezy, 54-page judgment from the Employment Court illustrated the costly consequences for employers who breach labour laws. The court ordered an employer to compensate three underpaid employees to the tune of a combined $35,000, with a further penalties claim pending.

Case serves as reminder that employers should be careful if choosing an advocate who isn’t member of regulatory body A recent case is a good reminder to choose advocates and lawyers carefully. Advocates who are members of the Employment Law Institute of New Zealand and lawyers are bound by certain ethical rules, while others are not. At the end of the day, judges have broad discretionary powers when it comes to awarding costs – including considering any dirty tactics.

We now have more details on proposed changes to the employee vs independent contractor test in Section 6 of the Employment Relations Act 2000, including an expectation that a Bill amending the Act will be introduced in 2025. The changes appear to be intently focused on Uber and similar gig economy services, so may not be as wide-reaching as first envisaged. Click here to read more about the earlier Court of Appeal Uber decision, and here for our earlier story about the proposed changes.