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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Employment Relations Act 2000

Recognition and operation of unions - Registration of unions and related matters

15: Registration of society as union

You could also call this:

“This law explains how a group of workers can become an official union by asking the government to recognise them.”

If a society wants to become a union, they need to ask the Registrar of Unions. The society must apply properly, following the rules in section 13, and they must be allowed to become a union. If everything is correct, the Registrar of Unions will make the society a union.

After the Registrar of Unions makes a society a union, they will give the new union a special paper called a certificate of registration. This certificate proves that the union followed all the rules to become a union. It also shows the date when the society officially became a union.

The certificate of registration is very important. It proves that the society did everything right to become a union, and that from the date on the certificate, they are officially a union under the law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM58636.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Government and voting > Government departments
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14: When society entitled to be registered as union, or

“A group can become a union if it follows certain rules and aims to help its members at work.”

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16: Annual return of members, or

“Unions must tell the government how many members they have each year.”

Part 4 Recognition and operation of unions
Registration of unions and related matters

15Registration of society as union

  1. The Registrar of Unions must register a society as a union if the society—

  2. applies, in accordance with section 13, to be registered as a union; and
    1. is entitled to be registered as a union.

      1. Immediately after registering a union, the Registrar of Unions must give a certificate of registration in the prescribed form to the union.

      2. The certificate of registration is conclusive evidence that—

      3. all the requirements of this Act relating to the registration of the union have been complied with; and
        1. on and from the date of registration stated in the certificate, the union is registered as a union under this Act.