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Employment Relations Act 2000

Freedom of association

7: Object of this Part

You could also call this:

“This part explains that workers can freely decide about joining unions, and nobody can treat them differently based on their choice.”

This part of the law is about making sure you have freedom when it comes to joining unions at work. You can choose if you want to join a union or not. It’s your decision, and no one should force you either way.

The law says that you can form a union or be part of one if you want to. Unions help workers work together to improve their jobs. But you don’t have to join if you don’t want to.

Also, the law says that no one should treat you differently at work just because you’re in a union or not. This means your boss, or anyone else, can’t give you special treatment or try to pressure you about union membership. They can’t do this directly or in sneaky ways.

This rule is there to make sure you’re free to make your own choice about unions without anyone trying to push you one way or the other.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM58625.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Rights and equality > Anti-discrimination
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6A: Status of examples, or

“Examples help explain the law but don't change what it means.”

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8: Voluntary membership of unions, or

“You can choose whether or not to join or leave a workers' group without being forced.”

Part 3 Freedom of association

7Object of this Part

  1. The object of this Part is to establish that—

  2. employees have the freedom to choose whether or not to form a union or be members of a union for the purpose of advancing their collective employment interests; and
    1. no person may, in relation to employment issues, confer any preference or apply any undue influence, directly or indirectly, on another person because the other person is or is not a member of a union.

      Compare
      • 1991 No 22 s 5