Changes coming to the Employment Relations Act – The Employment Relations Bill was recently reported back from select committee and looks likely to pass into law later this year. The Bill is intended to make a number of changes to the 2000 Act, including:
- Clarifying what an employer must disclose as part of its duty of good faith;
- Removing the duty to conclude in collective bargaining;
- Extending the right to request flexible working arrangements to all employees;
- Clarifying entitlements to rest breaks and meal breaks, the timing and duration of the breaks, and compensatory measures.
- Creating an exemption for small to medium-sized businesses from certain employee transfer requirements.
- Clarifying the type of employees to whom the employee transfer provisions apply,
- Exempting certain employers from compliance with the employee transfer provisions;
- New requirements for written notice of all strikes and lockouts, including the requirement that notices to specify a start and end date and time, or specify an event, and clarify what constitutes a partial strike; and
- Detailed provisions setting timeframes for the Employment Relations Authority to release determinations.
We will keep you updated as changes occur.