Ann Thompson, Golden Bay Federated Farmers
At the February meeting of the Golden Bay branch of Federated Farmers, the topic of contracts came up, with the importance of making sure that each party’s copy of the contract or agreement is identical, stressed.
Many dairy farmers are sorting out now who will be working on their farm for the 2022/23 season and are working with the incoming contractor or employee on the contracts.
While Federated Farmers is well known for the contracts and agreements it develops and provides for farmers, we all know that each one can be custom made to a certain extent. However, any changes and additions to the clauses must be agreed on, added into the contract and signed off. As stated above, the wording in both party’s contract must mimic the other’s in order for it to be enforceable in the event of a dispute.
Federated Farmers sells its contracts as a package of two paper-based contracts (or a downloadable PDF) – one for each party. Having it on paper is handy because you can write on it and make (agreed) changes, it can be filed and is easily referred to during the course of the term. However, attention to detail is paramount when making any changes.
One of Federated Farmers’ partner organisations is PaySauce, which specialises in on-line payroll systems.
As an added bonus, it also sells digitalised Federated Farmers’ Casual, Fixed Term and Permanent Employment Contracts which are filled in on-line, signed off and then stored on-line. The advantage here is that there is only the one contract that both parties have access to and any agreed changes are incorporated into it before it is signed on-line. Having it stored on-line allows reference to it by both parties as the term progresses.
The employment contracts provided for farmers by PaySauce are the same ones Federated Farmers has written and offers in hard copy. These are all developed by farmers, for farmers, to make sure they reflect good farming practice, and are written so that farmers can understand them. Its legal team has made sure that all legal requirements are included.
Federated Farmers members get a major discount when they buy any of its contracts and agreements, be they hard copy/PDF contracts or the digitalised employment ones provided by PaySauce. You don’t have to sign up for PaySauce Payroll either as it is a separate tool that is hosted on their platform.
He Waka Eke Noa – Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership: Local farmers travelled over the Takaka Hill to Upper Moutere recently, to attend the DairyNZ/Beef & Lamb roadshow while others have also tuned into the webinars hosted by Federated Farmers. Up for discussion were the two alternative schemes for targeting the pastoral sector’s gas emissions.
While it would be easier for farmers to turn their backs and ignore all this, doing nothing could get a worse outcome, with pastoral gases being charged through the ETS (Emissions Trading System). This would take no account of the sector’s unique gas emissions profile, which is dominated by methane, rather than carbon dioxide.
Federated Farmers is developing its position based on farmer feedback in a recent survey and a whole National Council Special General Meeting has been called to discuss this further.
