The NZCTU recognises that workers’ rights are human rights and is committed to supporting working people in Aotearoa New Zealand in their fight for economic and social justice.
A major issue faced by working people is the inherent imbalance of power between workers and their employers, with employers having the upper hand. Unions are essential in enabling working people to stand up for their rights and ensuring that unions have the strength and resources to organise is a major challenge.
Our work in this area focuses on bringing about the creation of worker-friendly laws and policies through participating in tripartite discussions, making submissions to the government, and becoming involved in legal cases to highlight and improve workers’ interests.
Latest Employment Relations Info
- Government must vote down ACT Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to vote down an ACT Party Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights by making it easier for… Read More »Government must vote down ACT Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights - National and NZ First urged to block ACT’s anti-worker agenda
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to reconsider its decision to progress Brooke van Velden’s new Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which would deny workers who have been… Read More »National and NZ First urged to block ACT’s anti-worker agenda - Minister must listen to Court’s Uber ruling and abandon contractor reform
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is celebrating the Court of Appeal ruling that Uber drivers were misclassified as contractors and is calling on Brooke van Velden to abandon her plans… Read More »Minister must listen to Court’s Uber ruling and abandon contractor reform - NZCTU condemns contractor reform as fundamental attack on workers’ rights
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is condemning a proposed change to employment law as a deplorable attack on workers’ rights. Minister for Workplace Relations, Brooke van Velden, has… Read More »NZCTU condemns contractor reform as fundamental attack on workers’ rights - Proposed Holidays Act changes undermine workers’ entitlements
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is calling on the Government to not reduce worker entitlements in their review of the Holidays Act. “We are concerned that the proposed changes undermine… Read More »Proposed Holidays Act changes undermine workers’ entitlements - Submission on the Biometric Processing Privacy Code Exposure Draft
The use of biometric technologies in the workplace is becoming more common. Biometric technologies are used for four main purposes in the workplace: security; recruitment; monitoring and surveillance; and health… Read More »Submission on the Biometric Processing Privacy Code Exposure Draft
Resources
NZCTU Definition of Good Work, June 2022
Good work is mahi that has a lasting positive impact on the worker, the employer, and the wider community. It is mahi that enhances the mana and dignity of workers, and where both employers and employees are treated with respect. The NZCTU’s definition can be used to help assess the extent to which good work is available in Aotearoa New Zealand and to develop policy to improve the quality of employment.
Policy Topics
