THREE quarters of local small business bosses believe their workers will abuse new employment laws.

The new Employment Relations Act, which came into effect earlier this month, means workers are allowed to take leave to deal with domestic problems such as looking after a sick child.

But most small firms questioned said they believed the new law was misguided and went too far in protecting employees' rights.

Almost nine out of ten said they believed the rules would encourage workers to find excuses for unauthorised leave. The survey, commissioned by Business Pages, revealed that some employers were reluctant to accept some illnesses as being reasonable for taking time off work.

More than 60 per cent said stress was not a valid reason for calling in sick.

And threequarters said they would dismiss staff who habitually took time off for any illnesses.

"The research shows that a majority of small businesses believe the legislation will have a negative impact on their workforce. This legislation looks like it will have a negative impact on their workforce and will both costly and damaging," said Nigel Marson, spokesman for Business Pages.

"But it is alarming that so many small firms seem to be unaware of the act which has already come into force."

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