SHORTER PAPERS: A Comment on the Extent of Voluntary Bargaining in New Zealand Industrial Relations

Abstract

In the current debate about the future of private sector wage fixing in New Zealand, there is an implicit assumption that there is an extensive second tier of bargaining which supplements national award negotiations. Commentators are, however, reluctant to quantify the true extent of this second tier. Their reluctance stems from the fact that much of this second tier is negotiated informally, and while agreements may be written, they are often unlikely to be registered with the Arbitration Court.