Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Employment Relations Act 2000

“Creating fair and respectful workplaces for everyone”

This law aims to create good working relationships between employers and employees. It wants to make sure that everyone behaves fairly and in good faith at work. This means that you should treat others with respect and honesty, and they should do the same for you.

The law recognises that employers usually have more power than employees. To balance this, it encourages workers to join together and negotiate as a group with their employers. This is called collective bargaining. At the same time, the law protects your right to make your own choices about work.

If you have a problem at work, the law says you should try to solve it through mediation first. This is when someone helps you and the other person talk things out and find a solution together. The law also gives special inspectors and courts the power to make sure that your rights at work are protected.

Finally, this law helps New Zealand follow important international rules about workers’ rights. These rules say that you should be free to join unions and that employers and employees should be able to negotiate with each other fairly.

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