Building boss fined $7500 for breaching employment law

Monday, 25 June 2018

Two Auckland building companies face thousands of dollars of fines for not complying with employment law.

An employer behind two Auckland construction companies has been fined $7500 for breaching employment law.

The Labour Inspectorate warned Chunnan Li, director of Juno Homes and EXP Builders, to keep employment records and pay workers their correct holiday pay in March last year.

However, he did not, and was penalised for it by the Employment Relations Authority.

Juno Homes was fined $5000 and EXP was fined $2500.

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Labour Inspectorate regional manager Jeanie Borsboom said Li's failure to comply with employment law, especially after being warned, was disappointing.

'When we issue improvement notices ordering employers to amend poor employment practices, these must be taken seriously, otherwise we will seek penalties.'

Li's fine raises the total collected from law-breaking construction companies to $45,000 since the inspectorate began cracking down on the industry's employers last year.

Inspectors visited 95 building sites last year, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures show.

During visits, inspectors often handed employers improvement notices, like the one Li was given, warning them to comply with employment law if they were found to be in breach.

They could hand out infringement notices, ordering immediate fines of between $1000 and $20,000.