Objectives 1 & 4: Activities, Strategies and/or Institutional Arrangements Developed to Address each Critical Success Factor

CSF 13: Employers and unions understand the value of constructive relationships through engagement and partnership.

Activity:
Support for small businesses
Description:
The Department of Labour provides information and assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the SME sector on workplace issues and opportunities. The Small Business Information Unit provides SME-targeted workplace practice information with and through Business NZ networks, such as Productivity Tool Kit workshops with Chambers of Commerce.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Workplace Productivity Agenda
Description:
The Workplace Productivity Agenda lifts productivity through awareness raising, providing workshops through Chambers of Commerce and developing diagnostic tools for businesses. Evaluation will include responses to the diagnostic tool, feedback from Chambers of Commerce and identifying gaps in awareness-raising.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Employment Relations Education Ministerial Advisory Committee
Description:
The Committee assesses applications for funding from the Employment Relations Education Contestable Fund; makes recommendations to the Minister of Labour around funding allocations; sets a strategic direction for the Contestable Fund; exercises the power delegated by the Minister of Labour to approve courses of employment relations education and courses of training for Health and Safety representatives.  The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for this Committee.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Industrial Relations Foundation
Description:
The Department of Labour provides secretariat support for the IRF. The IRF funds research into industrial relations related topics and is allocated annually through a Steering Committee made up of the Minister of Labour, Business NZ, the NZCTU, and DOL. The purpose of the funding is to promote the overall knowledge of better industrial relations within New Zealand.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
The Partnership Resource Centre
Description:
The Partnership Resource Centre helps employers and unions to build new positive workplace partnerships. These partnerships help employers and unions to respond to change, build capability and improve performance, worker contribution and the quality of the workplace for employees.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Better Work Working Better (BWWB)
Description:
BWWB sets out the Government’s aspirations for high quality employment in productive and innovative industries, regions and businesses that drives sustainable economic growth and opportunities for all New Zealanders. Goals under BWWB are high levels of participation in high-quality, well-paid and diversified employment; a diverse, adaptable and highly-skilled workforce; high-quality and productive workplaces within an effective regulatory environment and high-performing sector and regional labour markets.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Choices for Living, Caring, and Working Plan of Action
Description:
This ten-year plan improves support for children and families by increasing the choices available for parents and carers. This will enable people to have real choices about how they balance their caring responsibilities, involvement in paid work, time for leisure and learning, and time to be involved with friends, family and the community.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour

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Activity:
Initiatives to reduce short and long term injuries in the stevedore work force when working aboard ships.
Description:
A stevedore industry based steering committee has been established to work in partnership with Maritime NZ, Department of Labour, and related agencies. The prime objective of the activity is to achieve a reduction in stevedore injuries. Stevedore injury statistics are currently being analysed. Outcomes are expected to include guidelines for the safe handling of ships’ cargoes, an efficient “alert” system of communication between NZ ports, and a benchmark pre-discharge/loading safety survey report.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand

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Activity:
Learning Representatives Project
Description:
The Learning Representative Programme is a NZCTU-run project funded by the Tertiary Education Commission to enhance worker participation in learning and increase skills.  The Project has completed its first phase with a strong initial focus on foundation skills and literacy and a longer-term focus on quality jobs and design of work.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

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Activity:
Workplace Productivity Education Project
Description:
The NZCTU’s Workplace Productivity Education Project is designed to enhance productivity in New Zealand. Workshops have been run since October 2006, with more than 1500 participants attending from unions and sectors including banking and finance, food processing, engineering and manufacturing, saw milling, building and construction, tertiary education, rail and ports, air transport and other infrastructure, retail, health, central and local government.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

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Activity:
Unions working to improve workers’ wages and conditions
Description:
Unions engage in collective bargaining for existing members and also work to re-unionise the workforce to increase the number of workers covered by collective agreements.  The NZCTU supports affiliates’ wages campaigns.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

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Activity:
Public Service Association Partnership for Quality and Public Service Tripartite Forum
Description:
The Public Service Association has entered its third quality agreement with the Government.  The Public Service Tripartite Forum allows regular meetings between union members to discuss key workplace issues and processes.
Lead Agency:
Public Service Association

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Activity:
Union advocacy and guidance on health workforce issues
Description:
The health sector unions have a Health Tripartite Forum and bipartite meetings with District Health Boards to help maintain constructive relationships and improve conditions of work for health sector workers.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

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Activity:
Industry development projects
Description:
The NZCTU runs projects in the forestry and food and beverage sectors and with Maori workers to increase worker participation in industry decision-making and develop improved industry standards.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions