Source: Radio New Zealand
Unsplash / Anu Priya
A man who was made redundant last year has been left perplexed when his employed partner was told she would need to attend a seminar on gaining employment.
Andy, whom RNZ has agreed not to identify, lost his job last June.
“As I’ve been paying my taxes I thought I would see if I would be eligible for the unemployment benefit, which I wasn’t at that time because my de facto partner of 28 years had full time employment as a chef which she has held for 14 years, fair point so it was left there.”
There are limits on how much a household can earn and still remain eligible for benefits. When someone is on JobSeeker, household income over $160 a week before tax affects eligibility.
But Andy said four months later, her hours had been cut to four days.
“So I wait four weeks, so I can offer four payslips as proof and apply again.”
He said he applied online for his own benefit, and attended an interview.
But then his partner was called in and asked the same questions, despite not seeking a benefit.
“After two hours we’re sent away to await ‘our applications to be processed’ then I get a phone call to confirm that both our applications have been accepted but because my spouse has part-time work, her benefit is classified as her main income – all $51.20 of it – her wage will be classified as her second income and taxed accordingly. She’s employed, she doesn’t want any benefit, it was my application.
“On top of that, because she is now classed as unemployed she also has to attend a seminar about what benefits she’s entitled to claim and advice on gaining employment. But, she’s very happily employed.”
He said it had created a situation where there was an extra benefit application, and she was being forced to take time off work to attend a seminar about getting work.
“We’ve actually cancelled my application because my spouse doesn’t want to be contacted by anyone regarding other employment, who knows how her current employer would react if they thought that she was looking for work. Would they believe us?”
Rena Hona, regional commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development in Northland, acknowledged it was a difficult time for the couple.
“We’re happy to help Andy with his search for employment in any way we can, and we encourage him to remain in contact with us.
“We have a wide range of support available to help people find jobs and employers across the region regularly let us know about new vacancies.”
Hona said Andy’s partner’s 24 hours a week did not meet the minimum standard for full-time employment.
“This means she would need to take reasonable steps to secure employment of at least 30 hours a week if she and Andy applied for Jobseeker Support payments as a couple.”
Hona said Andy’s partner had been told she would not be required to attend a seminar and could have a one-on-one interview instead.
“New Zealand’s social security system is built on the premise that people in a relationship share costs and support each other financially. This is why applying for Jobseeker Support works differently, and the payment rates may differ, if someone is single or in a relationship.
“If someone in a relationship applies for assistance their partner also needs to give us some information. We’re required by legislation to assess both partners’ employment status and their combined household income. We then use this information to determine what they may be eligible for and what their obligations might be. These obligations could include looking for a full-time job and keeping us updated about how that goes.”
When someone was working 30 hours a week, they would not have job search obligations.
“If people need financial assistance because they’re not working full-time, we expect them to take all reasonable steps to confirm suitable full-time employment as soon as possible, so they no longer need financial assistance. This is a longstanding principle which underpins New Zealand social security legislation.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
