Open AccessCOMMENTARY: Campaign for the Return to Free Wage Bargaining
Author(s) -
Ken Douglas
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
new zealand journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0110-0637
DOI - 10.26686/nzjir.v9i2.3565
Subject(s) - remuneration , negotiation , wage , legislation , equity (law) , government (linguistics) , collective bargaining , labour economics , economics , industrial relations , preference , trade union , business , political science , public administration , law , finance , management , microeconomics , linguistics , philosophy
The trade union movement in New Zealand has had its fundamental right to bargain with its employees denied it since the last award round in 1981/82. In the time that has elapsed since awards were last negotiated the National Government attempted to radically alter the total environment within which wage negotiations were to be conducted. In the first instance legislation was introduced which removed the unqualified preference clauae from the Industrial Relations Act. Secondly, the National Government sought to reform the wage fixing system in a manner which would effectively see to it that economic conditions took precedence over wage equity in deciding rates of remuneration. Thirdly, the National Government canvassed the concept of changes to existing rules of union coverage so as to make possible the emergence of enterprise based unions and consequentially the development of enterprise based bargaining.