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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Employment Relations Act 2000

Collective bargaining - Collective agreements

55: Deduction of union fees

You could also call this:

“How money for joining a workers' group can be taken out of your pay if you say it's okay”

If you’re part of a union and there’s a collective agreement, your employer must take your union fees out of your pay regularly throughout the year. This only happens if you agree to it. The agreement works as if it has a rule saying the employer has to do this.

However, the collective agreement can change this rule or say it doesn’t apply. This means that sometimes, the employer might not have to take out union fees, even if you agree.

When your employer does take out union fees from your pay, they have to give this money to your union. They’ll do this in a way that they’ve agreed with the union.

Remember, this is just one part of the law about work in New Zealand. If you want to know more, you might need to look at other parts of the Employment Relations Act 2000.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM59117.

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54: Form and content of collective agreement, or

“The rules for writing down and agreeing on how workers and bosses work together”

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56: Application of collective agreement, or

“This explains who must follow the rules in a workplace agreement between unions and employers.”

Part 5 Collective bargaining
Collective agreements

55Deduction of union fees

  1. A collective agreement is to be treated as if it contains a provision that requires an employer that is a party to the agreement to deduct, with the consent of a union member, the member's union fee from the member's salary or wages on a regular basis during the year.

  2. A collective agreement may exclude or vary the effect of subsection (1).

  3. Union fees deducted from a member's salary or wages must be paid to the union concerned in accordance with any arrangement agreed with the union.