Submissions sought on personal grievances

The public is being asked to submit their views on the personal grievance system operating under the Employment Relations Act 2000.

Speaking at the annual Brightstar Industrial Relations Conference this morning, Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson opened public submissions on the review with the release of a comprehensive discussion paper.

"The Government is focused on jobs and growth, and one of our six policy drivers is cutting red tape and regulation. 

 "A number of concerns have been raised about the personal grievance system, including uncertainty about the law and the ability for parties to spin out the legal battle for years.

"It is important that perceived and real problems are addressed, while continuing to balance that with maintaining rights in genuine grievance cases.

 "I want to hear from people who have direct experience of the personal grievance process and also those who may not have had direct experience, but whose understanding of the process affects their decisions or behaviour in the workplace."

A copy of the Terms of Reference for the review and the discussion paper can be found on the Department of Labour's website at www.dol.govt.nz/consultation.

Submissions close on 31 March. They should be e-mailed to ERconsultation@dol.govt.nz or posted to Review of Personal Grievances, Workplace Policy Group, Department of Labour, PO Box 3705, Wellington.