Decent Work New Zealand
Towards Decent Work - Charting our progress
Objective 4: Activities, Strategies and/or Institutional Arrangements Developed to Address each Critical Success Factor
CSF 21: The process for social dialogue and engagement at all levels have real authority and impact.
Activity:
Tripartite initiatives to create and maintain workplace safety initiatives
Description:
The Accident Compensation Corporation’s workplace incentive programmes promote and facilitate tripartite involvement in creating and maintaining safer working environments in individual workplaces. The Accident Compensation Corporation also activity promotes and supports the building of workplace health and safety capability through initiatives such as the provision of assistance to the NZ Council of Trade Unions and Business NZ for the development and delivery of employee health and safety representative courses.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
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
Activity:
Parental leave evaluation project
Description:
A three-stage research project to measure the success of the parental leave scheme.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW)
Description:
NACEW is an advisory body providing advice to the Minister of Labour. NACEW is supported by the Department of Labour through the provision of an Executive Officer and advisory support to assist the development and implementation of their work programme. Currently this is via three subgroups focusing on precarious employment and particularly public contracting, pay and employment equity issues, Maori and Pacific women in enterprise and a joint DOL/NACEW decision-making project on balancing work and caring responsibilities
Lead Agency:
NACEW, Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance Project
Description:
The Work/Life Balance project is developing a policy programme to promote a better balance between paid work and life outside of work. A three year work programme is underway which includes a pilot project with workplaces, further policy work on a range of issues, activities to influence change in workplace cultures, and practices and research into work/life balance issues.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance workplace project
Description:
The project identifies and promotes workplace policies and practices that help people to balance participation in paid work with the other activities that are important to them. An advisory group has been established to advise on proposed communications activities and products flowing on from the Workplace Pilots, identify opportunities for awareness raising around work-life balance and identify champions and influencers.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
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
Activity:
Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015
Description:
The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy is a framework for action that sets out a vision, a set of principles, outcomes and an implementation plan for achieving healthy people in safe and productive workplaces. It also aims to reduce the work death toll in New Zealand.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Incorporation of labour components in trade agreements
Description:
The Government’s framework on the integration of labour issues with trade agreements continues to be used in all trade negotiations to which New Zealand is a party, including with ASEAN, China, Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. New Zealand has concluded agreements with the Kingdom of Thailand and with Singapore, Brunei and Chile, and a range of labour-cooperation activities are now underway.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Bilateral relations with Australia
Description:
The Minister of Labour has a standing invitation to attend the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council Meeting in Australia, held twice a year. Joint tripartite meetings are held with Australia over ILO matters. New Zealand's Department of Labour and Australia's Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also holds an annual forum to discuss labour issues.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Hosting international visits to share information on employment issues
Description:
The Department of Labour hosts many international visitors. This is an opportunity to share information on employment issues. The Department’s policy for hosting International visits was implemented in 2003.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Tripartite engagement of ILO matters
Description:
The Department of Labour convenes quarterly tripartite meetings to discuss ILO matters; organises New Zealand’s tripartite participation at the annual conference, including delegates’ briefings; arranges and funds tripartite attendance at four-yearly Asian Regional Meetings; and coordinates tripartite consultation on reports and questionnaires submitted to the ILO, and on the ratification of ILO Conventions.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Reporting on ILO Conventions
Description:
As a member of the ILO, New Zealand has certain reporting obligations to fulfil. These involve reporting regularly on New Zealand’s application of ratified Conventions (Article 22 reports); as requested on the application of unratified Conventions (Article 19 reports); annually on progress made on implementing the principles underlying the two core Conventions New Zealand has not ratified (under the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work); reporting on the texts of newly adopted ILO labour standards to Parliament (the A7 report) and responding to ILO questionnaires to inform discussions at the annual International Labour Conference.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Labour market analysis tools
Description:
First arising from the Ngäti Awa labour market capacity building project, a series of interactive labour market tools have been developed to allow quick and easy access to detailed labour market information at a disaggregated (sub-national and sub-population) level. The tools use updatable databases to provide information on key labour market indicators, education and training, industry and occupations to support decision making.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Fishing Industry Safety and Health Advisory Group (FishSAFE)
Description:
FishSAFE is an industry-led partnership between Maritime NZ, ACC and the commercial fishing industry. It acts as a "clearing house" for a wide variety of issues relating to health and safety in the commercial fishing industry.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
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
Activity:
Small Business Advisory Group
Description:
This group provides ongoing advice to the Ministerial Group on Small Business on any issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises. It identifies issues, suggests priorities, explores solutions, provides assistance and advice to government departments on dealing with SMEs and provides suggestions on ways for enhancing SME and government agency performance.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Economic Development
Activity:
Increase union density and the extent of collective bargaining in the aged care and disability sectors in order to improve wages
Description:
The NZCTU works with the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) to improve wages and employment conditions in the aged care sector through collective agreements. The unions are jointly co-ordinating the Fair Share for Aged Care campaign. The NZCTU also works with the Public Service Association (PSA) and the SFWU in their campaign to improve wages and conditions for disability sector care workers through a focus on increasing coverage of collective agreements.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Providing a worker perspective on the incorporation of labour standards in trade agreements
Description:
The NZCTU provides the Government with information on international labour practices and contributes to discussions with the Government on labour aspects of possible trade agreements, including direct reference to ILO core labour standards.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Memorandum of understanding with the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs
Description:
The NZCTU has a memorandum of understanding with the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs outlining the basis for co-operation to promote training and employment opportunities for young people.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Representation and input on migrant worker issues
Description:
The NZCTU, union affiliates and the CTU Komiti Pasefika network also discuss ways to strengthen worker rights in Pacific nations and participate in forums on Pacific Labour Market activities. The NZCTU has also launched a specific migrant worker project to develop resources for, and promote the rights of, migrant workers.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Older workers
Description:
The NZCTU liaises with the Retirement Commission, Human Rights Commission and other government agencies and non-government agencies on issues affecting older workers including part-time work options, retirement income and access to the health system.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
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
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
Activity:
Union participation in the governance of tertiary education institutions and industry training organisations
Description:
The NZCTU nominates union representatives to the councils of most tertiary education institutions and to most of the boards of industry training organisations. There is also a NZCTU nominee on the board of the Industry Training Federation. The purpose of this representation is to ensure that training providers are in touch with workers’ needs and that the diversity of potential trainees is reflected.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Retirement savings initiatives
Description:
The NZCTU promotes policies to support workplace retirement savings in both the public and private sector. The NZCTU Kiwisaver campaign provides information about Kiwisaver.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
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
Activity:
Kaimahi Maori - Maori Worker Education Project
Description:
An initiative of the NZCTU Runanga, this project draws on Matauranga Maori – indigenous models of leadership and knowledge – to promote skills development through participation in the union movement.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Skill New Zealand Tripartite Forum
Description:
An agreement between the Government, Business NZ and the NZCTU, aiming to create greater awareness of industry training and workplace learning and the skills needs of industry. In 2007, the government and tripartite partners agreed to develop a unified Skills Strategy for New Zealand. The aim of the Skills Strategy is to build a clear consensus on the skill needs of New Zealand moving forward and what the contributions of the various partners are to ensure the skills needs are met.
Lead Agency:
Tertiary Education Commission