An Analysis of Personal Grievance Statistics in New Zealand From 1984 to 1998

Personal grievance procedures have been a part of New Zealand$ industrial relations system since 1973. Initially these procedures were limited in availability to those employees who were members of unions and subject to a union negotiated document. Since the enactment of the Employment Contracts Act 1991 (ECA), personal grievance procedures have become available to all New Zealand employees. It is interesting to note that at the same time, unions' roles in industrial relations have diminished and progressively fewer employees know their rights in employment. This paper analyses the statistical data from the Department of Labour on personal grievance cases resolved by the specialist employment institutions between 1984 and 1998. The paper also notes the changes in types of personal grievances and the rates of growth and decline in personal grievance cases. Two important facts have been identified. The first involves the large increase in the number of personal grievance cases taken to the specialist institutions since the ECA came into force. The second issue is the large proportion of unjustified dismissal cases that make up the body of the personal grievance cases. Finally, this paper explores some explanations for the movements noted in personal grievance data as a precursor to further research.