Will the Mondayisation bill pass?

The Herald reports:

Dunedin North MP David Clark remains confident his bill to Monday-ise Waitangi and Anzac Days should they fall at a weekend will pass its first vote tomorrow.

Recent reports had written off the chances of the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and Anzac Day) Amendment Bill but Mr Clark said he had received pledges of support from United Future and the Maori Party – Government allies – along with all Opposition parties.

He told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he expected the bill to pass 61 votes to 60, meaning the legislation would go through to a select committee.

The bill corrected an anomaly that happened roughly twice every seven years. When this glitch happened New Zealanders missed out on the usual full complement of 11 public holidays, he said.

I expect it to pass, and actually think National should be backing it. The impact on employers is minimal (around 0.11% of the wages bill on average), and it provides greater certainty.

Since having his bill drawn from the ballot, Mr Clark had received feedback.

“For the folk who work Tuesday to Saturday, or Wednesday to Sunday, they miss out on the Monday holidays. This bill won’t solve that problem. But we will get a chance to hear from people on a wide range of issues.

Well if you do not normally work on a day which is a public holiday, of course you do not get paid for it. That is not a problem, but a feature. Public holidays are not a way to get to earn extra money. They are a way to give people a day off, without it affecting their pay.