Health Sector Collective Bargaining and the Employment Contracts Act: A Case Study of Nurses

Abstract

This case study describes and analyses the negotiation of a collective employment contract between an area health board management and regional representatives of the New Zealand Nurses Association during the first set of negotiations conducted under the Employment Contracts Act 1991. The study found that, contrary to claims by the Act's proponents, the Act does not lead to improved co-operation and communication between employers and employees. However, a high level of communication and co-operation was evident in the employee-union relationship, and it was found that certain provisions of the Employment Contracts Act afford employees greater power to determine their conditions of employment.