The union movement uses a language that is both unique and relevant to broader employment issues.
This language reflects the historical struggle of working people to advocate for their rights and improve working conditions. Rooted in principles of solidarity and collective action, union language is focused on the importance of workers uniting to achieve common goals.
Common phrases such as “workers’ rights,” “solidarity,” and “collective bargaining” underscore the belief that individuals are stronger when united. Terms like “strike,” “negotiation,” and “collective agreement” represent the real-world strategies used by unions when negotiating with employers and addressing grievances.
Beyond communication, when you use union language you are participating in the ongoing fight for fair treatment, dignity, and empowerment in the workplace—a legacy of generations of working people who have fought for justice and equality.
Union language matters because it serves as a powerful tool for representing and advocating for workers’ rights. It provides a shared vocabulary to articulate concerns and facilitates organising for change. It is also essential for navigating legal and contractual frameworks, making sure workers’ rights are upheld according to labour laws and regulations.
| TERM | MEANING | OTHER WORDS |
|---|---|---|
| Accident Compensation | New Zealand’s 24/7 ‘no-fault’ accidental injury compensation scheme originated created in 1974. The scheme provides financial compensation and support for workers, citizens, residents, and temporary visitors who suffer personal injuries. | ACC, Workers’ Comp |
| Annual Leave | Paid time off work that employees are entitled to take each year for rest, relaxation, and recreation, as required by the Holidays Act 2003 in New Zealand. | Holiday Leave, Vacation Leave |
| Arbitration | A process of resolving disputes between parties, often used as an alternative to litigation in labour disputes. | Mediation, Dispute Resolution |
| Bargaining | Where working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine the terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, health and safety policies, and more. | |
| Bereavement Leave | A legal leave entitlement for employees who are bereaved by the loss of a family member or person that they were close to and/or they have responsibilities in ceremonies related to the person’s death. Employees are legally entitled up to three days leave for a family bereavement, and one day for those with ceremonial commitments. Often, entitlements in collective agreements are more generous that those prescribed in the Holidays Act. | Tangihanga leave |
| Blue-Collar Union | A union representing manual labourers’, typically in industries such as manufacturing, construction, or transportation. | Industrial union |
| Card vote | A way of voting at a trade union meeting where the “card vote” represents the votes of all the members of an organisation. | |
| Casualisation | The process of jobs becoming less regular or permeant, with the employer moving from predominately full-time or part-time roles to more casual and contract roles. | |
| Collective Bargaining | Negotiation between employers and employees, often facilitated by a labour union, to determine wages, working conditions, etc. | Negotiation, Bargaining, Contract Talks |
| Collective Employment Agreement | A legally binding contract between an employer and and two or more employees defining the terms and conditions of employment. As per the ERA 2000, every employee must be covered by a collective or individual employment agreement, and these agreements must include a range of specific terms and conditions as outlined in the Act. | Contract, Award, Agreement, CEA |
| Craft Union | A type of union that represents workers in a particular skilled trade or craft, such as carpentry or plumbing. | Skilled Trades Union |
| Delegate | Delegates are elected union members and represent and support their members at work. They advocate for collective interests, foster relationships, recruit new members, provide support and updates, collaborate with union officials, address workplace issues, involve members in decisions, facilitate meetings, and connect with other delegate networks. | Site rep, Branch rep, site steward |
| Dismissal and Disciplinary Procedures | Processes followed by employers when terminating an employee’s employment or taking disciplinary action, including requirements for fairness and procedural fairness under New Zealand employment law. Dismissal refers to the process of being fired. | Termination Procedures, Discipline Policies |
| Dispute | Relates to a dispute over the interpretation, application, or operation of an employment agreement. | Dispute of Interest, ‘blue’ |
| Employment Relation Act 2000 | The primary industrial law in Aotearoa NZ providing the legal foundations for how employers and employees work with each other regarding operating in good faith, negotiating employment agreements, and solving workplace grievances and disputes | The ERA, the ‘Act’, the law |
| Employment Relations Education (ERE) leave | A union may allocate paid ERE leave so members can attend approved courses in employment relations. | |
| Employee Rights and Protections | Various rights and protections afforded to employees under New Zealand employment law, including protection against discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment. | Worker Protections, Employee Rights, Workers’ Rights |
| Entitlements | Employee entitlements include wages or salary (your pay), annual leave, long service leave, sick leave, redundancy pay, superannuation and other benefits. | |
| Equal Pay | Where two people who are doing the same job should be paid the same regardless of their gender. | |
| File Note | A written record of any issue that has been raised. A basic file note should include the date, people involved, author of the note, the issue and the outcome. | |
| Fixed-term Agreements | Project-based, short-term employment arrangements. | FTAs |
| Good Faith | Employers and employees must deal with each other honestly, openly, and without deliberately misleading each other. The parties to the employment relationship are required to be active and constructive in establishing and maintaining a productive relationship in which they are response and communicative. | Acting honestly, integrity |
| Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 | The law that sets out the obligations on businesses to ensure the safety and welfare of all workers who they employ and/or who are working on their premises. | OHS, H&S Act, HASWA |
| Health and Safety Representatives | Employees appointed or elected to represent their colleagues on health and safety matters in the workplace, as required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 in New Zealand. | Safety Representatives, Workplace Health Advocates |
| HR/Human Resources | Human Resources is the part of a business or organisation responsible for finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants. | |
| Independent Union | A union that is not affiliated with the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi | Non-affiliated Union, Standalone Union |
| Industrial Action | Any coordinated action during an industrial dispute by employees, that seeks to compel employers to meet employee demands regarding wages, employment terms, working conditions, etc. This can include using tactics like protests, rallies, the full or partial withdrawal of labour (striking). | Strike, stopwork, go-slow, work-to-rule |
| Industrial Union | A type of union that represents workers across various industries or sectors, often organizing workers based on the type of work they do rather than their specific trade | Industry-wide Union, General Union |
| Individual Agreement | Employment agreement between an employer and an individual employee. | Contract |
| International Union | A union that operates in multiple countries or represents workers from various countries. Many NZ unions are affiliated to Global Union Federations. | Global Union Federation (GUF), International Labour Organization (ILO) |
| KiwiSaver | A voluntary savings scheme in New Zealand to help people save for retirement through private investment providers. KiwiSaver contributions are deducted from employees’ salaries and may be matched by their employer, with various benefits and incentives provided by the government. | Retirement Savings Scheme, Superannuation |
| Labour Movement | A term used to describe the collectivised/unionised workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. | Workers’ Movement; Union Movement |
| Living Wage | The Living Wage is what a person needs to be able to lead a basic, but decent life. The rate is higher than the Minimum Wage and is set by an independent expert panel. It is adjusted every year to account for rising living costs. Employers can voluntarily become an Accredited Living Wage employer. Read more about the living wage here. | |
| Lockout | A lockout happens when an employer closes a workplace and/or prevents staff from going back to work until they accept the employer’s collective agreement proposals on pay and/or conditions of work | Boss’s strike |
| Minimum Wage | The lowest wage rate that employers are legally required to pay their employees, as mandated by New Zealand employment law | Minimum Hourly Rate, Base Rate |
| Minority Union | A union with a small worker membership in a workplace compared to a much larger union operating on a site. | Minority Workers Union, Small Union |
| Misclassification | At work, “misclassification” of working people is the illegal practice of categorising “employees” as “contractors”, which can result in denying someone of their entitlement to benefits and other legal protections. Can also refer to the being misclassified as “casual” when the reality of your role is permanent. | |
| National Affiliates Council (NAC) | The NAC is the governing body of the Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, the peak labour body in Aotearoa NZ. It is made up of representatives from all affiliated unions and meets four times a year in a governance role. | |
| Organiser | Generally a paid union official who organises workers across workplaces and industries, building their collective power and influence. An organiser will also recruit new members, assist with electing ands supporting delegates and health and safety representatives, handle personal grievances and disputes, and facilitate negotiations with management and owners in collective negotiations. | |
| Pay Equity | Pay Equity means women and men should be paid equal pay for work of equal value. | |
| Personal Grievance | A grievance held by an employee against their employer related to them being unjustifiably dismissed, being disadvantaged, discriminated against, sexually harassed, or racially harassed. | PG, Grievance |
| Picketing | The act of demonstrating outside a workplace, often with signs, to protest or raise awareness about labour issues. | Demonstration, Protest |
| Professional Association | An organisation of professionals in a particular field or industry that may provide advocacy, networking, and professional development opportunities. | Professional Society, Industry Association |
| Public Holiday | A day prescribed in the Holidays Act that allows for an employee to have a paid day’s leave. | Statutory holiday, Stat day |
| Public Sector Union | A union representing employees who work for governmental Ministries and Departments. The term also covers nurses, teachers, and local government workers. | Government Workers Union, Civil Servants Union |
| Quiet Quitting | When a worker or group of workers actively avoid going above and beyond the requirements of their role by performing at the bare minimum and only during prescribed work hours. | Acting Your Wage, Work to Rule |
| Redundancy | The termination of employment due to reasons such as business closure, restructuring, or technological changes, often resulting in severance pay or other entitlements. In New Zealand, redundancy is governed by employment law and may entitle employees to redundancy compensation or notice periods. | Layoff, Job Loss |
| Registrar of Unions | A statutory body that registers and monitors the operation of trade unions as per the Employment Relations Act 2000. | Registrar |
| Scab | A term used to describe someone who ‘breaks’ a strike by returning to work and undermining the collective action by union members. | Strike-breaker, lackey |
| Seniority | Length of time an employee has worked for a company, often used in determining promotions, layoffs, etc. | Length of Service, Longevity, Tenure |
| Shop Steward | Head worker representative in a unionised company. | Senior delegate |
| Sick Leave | A legal employee entitlement to take leave from the job, generally on pay, when they are ill or injured. You can see the minimum requirements for sick leave here. | Sicky |
| Strike | A work stoppage initiated by workers as a form of protest or to demand better wages and/or conditions. In Aotearoa strikes are only legal if they relate to collective bargaining. Also see definition of lockout. | Work stoppage, Walkout |
| Summary Dismissal | In cases of serious misconduct, an employer might dismiss an employee without providing notice, working out the notice period or being paid for the notice period. | |
| Support person | When there is a meeting called between an employer and a worker, you’ll often be told you can bring a support person. They are someone the worker chooses who provides moral and emotional support. They can be a friend, colleague or family member. | |
| Trade Union | An organisation of workers in a specific trade, industry, or occupation formed to protect and advance the interests of its members. | Labour Union, Workers’ Union, Union |
| Tripartite | A tripartite agreement brings together representatives from government, industry/business, and trade unions to reach shared goals, such as reducing unemployment and creating meaningful work. | Social partnership |
| Union Representation | The right of employees to be represented by a union in dealings with their employer, including negotiations, grievances, and disputes. | Worker Representation, Labour Advocacy |
| Unionise | The act of forming or joining a labour union | Organise, Join a Union |
| White-Collar Union | A union representing professionals, office workers, or other non-manual labourers. | Professional Union, Office Workers’ Union |
| Yellow Union | A labour organisation established or influenced by an employer rather than being independent, often serving the interests of management rather than advocating for workers’ rights. Yellow unions lack genuine autonomy and may be created to undermine genuine labour movements or maintain control over workplace dynamics. They prioritize the interests of the employer over those of the workers they claim to represent. | Company Union, Company-Controlled Union |
| Youth Rates | The Starting-Out and Training minimum wage rates are set at 80% of whatever the applicable Adult Minimum Wage rate is. For people under 16 years of age there is no minimum wage. However, minimum standards and employee related entitlements still apply, e.g. holiday pay, annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, etc. | Starting Out Rate, Training minimum wage |
| Wages Protection Act | The law that sets out all employer duties and requirements in relation to paying employees. | Wages Act |
| Walkout | A walkout is the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace and withholding their labour as an act of protest. Also see Strike. | Sit-in, stop-work |
| Work to Rule | A form of protest in which employees do exactly what is stated in their contracts, and nothing more, in order to slow down production | Acting Your Wage, Quiet Quitting |