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A new law requiring employers to give serious consideration to employees' requests for flexible working hours has been passed by Parliament.
MPs voted 69 to 50 in favour of Green MP Sue Kedgley's Flexible Working Arrangements Bill after a parliamentary committee which scrutinised the bill recommended it be passed.
National and Act voted against the bill and all other parties and independent MPs supported it.
Ms Kedgley said she hoped the "simple, light-handed piece of legislation" would be seen in the future as a landmark which helped to break down rigid and inflexible working hours.
National opposed the bill saying legislation was unnecessary and working conditions were best sorted out in negotiations between employers and employees.
National MPs argued that many workplaces and sectors were not suitable for flexible working arrangements and employers would be placed in an impossible position.
Ms Kedgley said the bill established a new employment right which would allow any employee with responsibilities to care for children, dependent or disabled adults or whanau to seek to vary their hours or place of work.
"This means a person can ask for a change to their start and finish times, adjust their work hours, work compressed hours, seek to work from home, or any other flexible arrangement that will enable them to better meet the demands of paid employment and their caring responsibilities."
Employers would have a statutory duty to consider any such request seriously and seek to accommodate it, Ms Kedgley said.
The select committee said in its report earlier that the bill was based on law in Britain which had encouraged more flexibility in the workplace.
New Zealand had a culture of long working hours and many parents were under stress, the committee said.
It said that while many employers did offer flexible working arrangements, a law would ensure consistency across the workforce.
Ms Kedgley said a fifth of New Zealanders worked more than 50 hours a week, and 40 per cent worked more than 45 hours a week.
"If employers were able to vary their working hours, and work more often from home, there would be real social, environmental as well as economic benefits," Ms Kedgley said.
This would be due to less road congestion during peak hour traffic and people spending more time with their families.
The Families Commission said it welcomed the bill being passed as a major step towards improving the work-life balance of families.
- NZPA
