The Problem Resolution Framework Under the Employment Relations Act 2000

Abstract

The Employment Relations Act 2000 provides options for interventions to support employment relationships and to prevent and solve employment relationship problems. These interventions follow a hierarchy of roles established by the Act, involving the availability of mediation services in all its forms (including best practice information and assistance), the investigative role of the Employment Relations Authority, and the judicial role of the Employment Court. These problem solving processes act as a continuum, with people able to move between the different, but complementary, forms of assistance. This paper discusses those processes in terms of the services that are available, developments in the first two years under the Employment Relations Act, and the challenges ahead.