Survey shines light on working conditions

22 July 2016

Survey of collective employment agreements shines light on working conditions

A survey of over 2,000 collective employment agreements from Victoria University of Wellington shows that while gains are being made for unionised workers, the benefits are having a wider effect as collectively agreed terms and conditions are often extended to new employees and non-union workers.

The survey results, providing greater understanding of current employment provisions and issues, will be released next week at the first of five seminars in main centres across the country.

Victoria’s Centre for Labour Employment and Work (CLEW) conducted the survey, which covers the full range of industry sectors.

The survey found that after years of low pay increases, the average annual increment in wages and salaries for public sector employees was at 1.6 percent for 2015/16, the highest it’s been since 2012.

Private sector employees on collective employment agreements also typically experienced wage gains over the past 12 months, of just over 2 percent on average, which was slightly lower than in previous years.

CLEW director Stephen Blumenfeld says the higher increase in wages in the private sector in the last three years was partly influenced by increases to the minimum wage that were above the rate of inflation.

Dr Blumenfeld says the survey highlights gains made in employment provisions as well as other issues that need to be addressed in the labour market, including the low take-up of collective employment agreements.

“With the elimination of zero-hours contracts and new provisions for flexible working hours in New Zealand law, some of the worst excesses of hours-of-work provisions. But there is still room for improvement, particularly around whether issues of work-life balance can be addressed in collective bargaining.

“We’ve had over 15 years of legislation that purports to support negotiation of collective agreements to regulate pay and working conditions, and yet the number of employees covered by them remains at just over 20 percent.”

Further findings of the survey will be released in seminars at major centres around the country, along with an overview of bargaining and case law developments over the last 12 months.

Registrations for the Employment Agreements: Bargaining Trends & Employment Law Update seminars are now open.

27 July Dunedin
28 July Christchurch
3 August Hamilton
4 August Auckland
9 August Wellington

About Employment Agreements: Bargaining Trends & Employment Law Update

The annual seminar series has been running since 1994 and has established a reputation as the definitive source of practitioner-focused information on current wages, conditions and employment relations practices in New Zealand. Topics covered in the seminars include wages and penal rates, working time and leave, the legislative changes around hours of work and health and workplace health and safety, and important legal cases from the past year.

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