New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations (Online)

AbstractThere are two views of New Zealand's Accident Compensation (ACC) scheme; the first view is that the scheme is a social programme and the second is that it is an insurance-based programme which, for historical reasons, happens to be run by the...

AbstractRecently, studies have shown the positive (challenge) and negative (hindrance) nature of stressors can influence job outcomes in opposite directions. However, no study has explored the interaction effects of these stressor dimensions on each...

IntroductionThe last two decades have seen almost constant change in Australian labour law. Since the Hawke Government replaced the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 with the broadly similar Industrial Relations Act 1988, there has scarcely been...

AbstractCommunications during collective bargaining are of central importance to the conduct of employment relations in Australia and New Zealand as they may substantially impact collective bargaining outcomes. Although communications during collective...

IntroductionIn 2002, fire fighters in the United Kingdom went on strike, creating widespread fear and causing the armed forces to step into the breach to provide emergency service cover. In New Zealand, the announcement in 201 1 that 1,800 fire fighters...

AbstractUniversal human rights are derived from respect for human life and the inherent dignity of the person. As signatory to all major United Nations' human rights instruments, New Zealand is a 'human rights State'. However, New Zealand workers experience...

IntroductionNanotechnologies use processes to create novel materials and particles sized between one to 100 nanometers, although this metrology is not uncontested.1 Nanoparticles (NPs) have different physical, chemical and biological properties from...

AbstractNew Zealand is popularly perceived as a laid back place where individuals might choose to live to enjoy a slower paced life style. However, the reality is that New Zealanders work some of the longest days and the most hours per annum in the OECD.In...

IntroductionThe occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ILO provided an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between the ILO and New Zealand.1 In this article I shall discuss one aspect of that relationship, namely, the relationship...

AbstractThis article reviews the literature on the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and foreign direct investment (FDI) on employment and identifies the significance of this research, and where further research is required. It proposes that...

AbstractThe 90th anniversary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2009 and its 'Decent Work' campaign presented an opportune time to investigate contingent youth labour and, more specifically, student migrants. Underpinning this investigation...

IntroductionThis report continues the series of annual surveys on trade union membership in New Zealand, which Victoria University of Wellington's Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) began in 1991, when the Employment Contracts Act (ECA) ended the practice...

AbstractWith this paper, we want to emphasise the importance of healthy entrepreneurs for sustainable business development. We contribute to the field of entrepreneurship and show how entrepreneurs assess their own health state. We contribute to the...

AbstractThe paper analyses in depth qualitative case material, in the light of previous research and in the context of a dynamic, longitudinal approach. The analysis takes a longitudinal approach to a small number of case studies that have been tracked...

AbstractA possible knowledge gap in entrepreneurship literature became evident during a comparative qualitative study of two Indigenous groups of entrepreneurs; Australian Aboriginal and New Zealand-Aotearoa Maori entrepreneurs. When the relationship...

AbstractWe examine employee views on employer assistance for employees' work-family issues and the effect on two measures of employee global attitude towards the employer: job satisfaction and employee attitude. We use data from the 2002 National Study...

AbstractIndividual-level conflict is a central aspect of contemporary employment relations. The literature is somewhat fragmented, focusing on certain aspects of grievances and dominated by North American writing. The implications for New Zealand are...

June 2009The impact of the recession and swine flu featured prominently in several media reports in June 2009.The advent of swine flu raised the issue of payment to healthy workers if a business was forced to close down. The Dominion Post highlighted...

AbstractThis paper addresses the content of psychological contracts within academia and provides some empirical evidence from an Australian University. Using exploratory factor analysis of the data collected from the cross-sectional survey this research...

AbstractThere is little in workplace coaching literature to explain its efficacy. Psychological contract is a construct which could explain it, but it is yet to be introduced to the body of knowledge. This paper examines the data collected from an exploratory...

IntroductionThis research note reports on recent research examining people working in cafés in Auckland, with a view to exploring how and why people use cafés to facilitate work and their productivity. Cafés are recognised as an important component of...

AbstractThis case study explored what employment value proposition attributes could contribute to the retention of Customs officers who graduated from the New Zealand Customs Service Trainee Induction Programme between July 2005 and July 2008. The findings...

February 2009It was reported in the Dominion Post that changes to the Employment Relations Act and in particular the Employment Relations (Probationary Periods) Amendment Act would come into force 1 March 2009. The Department of Labour's Deputy Secretary,...

AbstractAmartya Sen's capability approach has the potential to counter neoliberal critiques of social welfare systems by overcoming the false opposition between security and flexibility. In particular, it can be used to promote the idea of social rights...

IntroductionTen years ago, in October 1999, the Department of Labour published a paper, "Human Capability: a Framework for Analysis". Setting out to explain the labour market and its implications for public policy, the Human Capability Framework (the...

AbstractThis paper reports recent research in New Zealand workplaces investigating institutional, organisational and individual influences on the development of human capability. The concept of human capability is used as a counterbalance to the organisationally...

October 2008The upcoming November election provided a platform for political parties to trumpet their employment policies. The Press reported an announcement by Minister of Labour Trevor Mallard that the Government planned to introduce requirements for...

AbstractThe tertiary education reforms have placed considerable pressure on Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), which are now required to assume "new roles as strategic leaders in skills and training needs for the industries under their coverage"...

AbstractThis article provides a descriptive portrait of the changing characteristics of workers in New Zealand earning at or below the minimum wage in the last decade. With substantial increases made to both the adult and youth minimum wage over the...

AbstractThis policy commentary complements the research report on Transition Assistance for Young People, released by the New Zealand Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs. It provides a snapshot at the international evidence concerned with job guarantee and welfare-to-work...

AbstractNew Zealand suffers from labour and skill shortage, has a record low official unemployment rate, one of the highest figures of working hours per capita per annum and at the same time one of the lowest labour force participation rates of women...

AbstractThe implementation of New Zealand's Occupational Health and Safety Management (OHSM) regulatory regime has been subjected to sustained critique by the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee (NOHSAC). The most recent critique...

June 2008The Sunday Star Times featured an article which claimed that thousands of casual workers will get a better deal, including improved access to benefits such as sick and bereavement leave, under proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act....

AbstractThis paper reviews Australasian academics' psychological contracts and how they are changing. While research has demonstrated that psychological contracts have considerable impact upon workplace relations and employee performance, research into...

AbstractThis paper reports on the findings of a survey that explored staff perceptions of change management in Australian universities with a view to gauging the effectiveness of workplace change provisions in Higher Education enterprise agreements....

February 2007The working year started with the continuation of a number of unresolved employment relations issues from 2006.The Air New Zealand plan to outsource engineering services to the Spanish owned company Swissport continued to receive extensive...

AbstractIn recent years, New Zealand has experienced a dramatic drop in unemployment and the overall unemployment rate is amongst the lowest in the OECD. The resultant tight labour market has made skills shortages, staff turnover and retention the topic...

AbstractResearch on the connection between occupational health and safety (OHS) and increasing employee productivity and performance has become topical as a result of increased interest in ways to improve 'performance' in the workplace. Occupational...

AbstractThis research examines the relationship between job satisfaction, recruitment processes and organisational culture in a work environment in the cosmetic retail industry which is characterized by a high rate of voluntary turnover among its employees....

AbstractFactors affecting employer support for internal, external and industry training are assessed using data from the Business New Zealand Skills and Training Survey 2003. Explanatory factors considered in this analysis are the size, location and...

AbstractIn November, 2006, a private member's bill to introduce a 90 day probationary employment period, which would have allowed employers to dismiss employees for any or no reason and without having to follow a disciplinary procedure, was defeated....

AbstractModern minimum wage systems have operated for more than a century. Some Pacific countries were among the pioneers in establishing minimum wages. Minimum wage systems are used to achieve many aims, some of which conflict. These aims include promoting...

February 2006During February, a number of media reports highlighted the issue of low paying jobs and sectors. This included a Bill to abolish youth pay rates - 'the Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill' - promoted by the Green...