AUCKLAND (Sachin Sharma): Labour Party's promise of increasing minimum wages and doubling paid sick leave if voted to power again hasn't gone down well with opposition parties and business people. The general elections are scheduled on October 17.
Ruling Labour Party in its election manifesto promised to double paid sick leave from five days to 10 days and increase the minimum wage beyond the scheduled increase to $20 next year.
National leader Judith Collins said Labour would "cripple businesses as they battle the recession" by "piling the costs on".
She said the duo of increasing minimum wage and sick leave entitlements showed "how out of touch" Labour was with small businesses.
Kirk Hope, chief executive of BusinessNZ, New Zealand's leading business advocacy group, representing thousands of businesses also supported Collins' views.