Prime Minister John Key has told the new politics TV programme Q+A that he only knows of two businesses so far that may take part in the Government’s nine-day fortnight scheme when its launched on Friday. The scheme allows businesses and their employees to negotiate working one day less every second week to avoid redundancies.

Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O’Reilly says he is not surprised at the small uptake, since the rules of the scheme have only recently become available to companies and many are still considering joining. Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly told Radio New Zealand that she also is aware of only two businesses seriously considering taking up the option, although there is a lot of interest in the initiative.

One of the two companies to sign up is whiteware manufacturer Fisher and Paykel. The company’s Auckland refrigeration assembly workforce has agreed to a temporary 35-hour working week arrangement, running for six months from April through until September. The aim is to prevent what approximately 60 redundancies.

Fisher and Paykel has negotiated the scheme with the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. The 35 hour week will be supplemented with an additional 3.5 hours pay, made up with money from the government and an equivalent Company contribution. EPMU national secretary Andrew Little told the New Zealand Herald that making sure workers received an employer “top-up” was the key to agreeing to the scheme.

As we said from the outset, to make the nine day fortnight work we need employers to top it up and Fisher & Paykel Appliances have come to the table on that. It shows how important it is for employers and unions to work together in the face of the recession,