Decent Work New Zealand
Towards Decent Work - Charting our progress
Objective 4: Activities, Strategies and/or Institutional Arrangements Developed to Address each Critical Success Factor
CSF 20: The contribution of engagement with and between all sectors and participants at all levels is valued and promoted.
Activity:
Workplace Safety Programmes
Description:
The Accident Compensation Corporation has developed injury prevention programmes for identified key high-risk industry sectors. This is in collaboration with supportive industry associations and employee representatives for the joint implementation of initiatives to reduce the incidence of work-related injuries of serious consequence.
Lead Agency:
Accident Compensation Corporation
Activity:
Regional labour market development
Description:
Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a regional level. This involves working with local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Sectoral labour market development
Description:
Collaborative development of strategies and action plans to address skills, productivity and participation issues at a sectoral level. This involves working with sector bodies, local government, business/industry associations, economic development agencies, training providers, unions and other government agencies.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Support for small businesses
Description:
The Department of Labour provides information and assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the SME sector on workplace issues and opportunities. The Small Business Information Unit provides SME-targeted workplace practice information with and through Business NZ networks, such as Productivity Tool Kit workshops with Chambers of Commerce.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Parental leave evaluation project
Description:
A three-stage research project to measure the success of the parental leave scheme.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW)
Description:
NACEW is an advisory body providing advice to the Minister of Labour. NACEW is supported by the Department of Labour through the provision of an Executive Officer and advisory support to assist the development and implementation of their work programme. Currently this is via three subgroups focusing on precarious employment and particularly public contracting, pay and employment equity issues, Maori and Pacific women in enterprise and a joint DOL/NACEW decision-making project on balancing work and caring responsibilities
Lead Agency:
NACEW, Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance Project
Description:
The Work/Life Balance project is developing a policy programme to promote a better balance between paid work and life outside of work. A three year work programme is underway which includes a pilot project with workplaces, further policy work on a range of issues, activities to influence change in workplace cultures, and practices and research into work/life balance issues.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Work/Life Balance workplace project
Description:
The project identifies and promotes workplace policies and practices that help people to balance participation in paid work with the other activities that are important to them. An advisory group has been established to advise on proposed communications activities and products flowing on from the Workplace Pilots, identify opportunities for awareness raising around work-life balance and identify champions and influencers.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Workplace Productivity Agenda
Description:
The Workplace Productivity Agenda lifts productivity through awareness raising, providing workshops through Chambers of Commerce and developing diagnostic tools for businesses. Evaluation will include responses to the diagnostic tool, feedback from Chambers of Commerce and identifying gaps in awareness-raising.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015
Description:
The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy is a framework for action that sets out a vision, a set of principles, outcomes and an implementation plan for achieving healthy people in safe and productive workplaces. It also aims to reduce the work death toll in New Zealand.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Realising Youth Potential
Description:
Contributing to policy development and implementation around the goal of the Government that all young people will be participating in education, skills, or other structured learning relevant to their abilities and needs until they reach the age of 18. This includes all young people in work, transition to work, and in tertiary education and training have a coherent set of learning opportunities and the appropriate support mechanisms available to achieve sustainable skills and career outcomes. This is a joint activity with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.
Lead Agency:
Multi agency, Department of Labour
Activity:
Talent New Zealand businesses need
Description:
Identifying opportunities for responding to skill and talent shortages, taking account of relevant work already underway. This includes the tertiary education reforms, the business tax review and the Immigration Change Programme.
There will be a specific focus on attracting the talented people New Zealand firms need, both immigrants and expatriates.
The Talent Work Policy enables employers to gain 'Accredited Employer' status, and gives them access to a special category of Work to Residence Visa for the offshore talent they need to supplement their New Zealand work force.
Lead Agency:
Department of Labour
Activity:
Industry-based solutions to health and maritime safety issues
Description:
Groups made up of employer/employer/researcher interests are convened for different sectors and act as a focus for health and safety awareness and develop industry-based solutions to key risks. Maritime NZ provides support services to these groups.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Development of activity-specific codes of safe working practice on board ships, and associated injury prevention training
Description:
Maritime NZ, in partnership with Accident Compensation Corporation, the Seafood Industry Training Organisation and the commercial fishing industry, has developed guidelines for health and safety on board small commercial fishing vessels and associated specific health and safety training which is recognised by the NZQA. The guidelines are now being used as the basis for the development of guidelines for the domestic passenger and non-passenger fleet, and similar guidelines have been developed for the international fleet.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Fishing Industry Safety and Health Advisory Group (FishSAFE)
Description:
FishSAFE is an industry-led partnership between Maritime NZ, ACC and the commercial fishing industry. It acts as a "clearing house" for a wide variety of issues relating to health and safety in the commercial fishing industry.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Initiatives to reduce short and long term injuries in the stevedore work force when working aboard ships.
Description:
A stevedore industry based steering committee has been established to work in partnership with Maritime NZ, Department of Labour, and related agencies. The prime objective of the activity is to achieve a reduction in stevedore injuries. Stevedore injury statistics are currently being analysed. Outcomes are expected to include guidelines for the safe handling of ships’ cargoes, an efficient “alert” system of communication between NZ ports, and a benchmark pre-discharge/loading safety survey report.
Lead Agency:
Maritime New Zealand
Activity:
Small Business Advisory Group
Description:
This group provides ongoing advice to the Ministerial Group on Small Business on any issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises. It identifies issues, suggests priorities, explores solutions, provides assistance and advice to government departments on dealing with SMEs and provides suggestions on ways for enhancing SME and government agency performance.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Economic Development
Activity:
Growth and Innovation Advisory Board
Description:
The Growth and Innovation Advisory Board advises the Prime Minister, Government and others on the growth and innovation framework and strategies.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Economic Development
Activity:
Pacific Economic Action Plan (PEAP)
Description:
The PEAP provides an overarching response to Pacific peoples’ economic priorities with six key goals: Education, Workforce Development, Business Development, Creative, Emerging & Growth Industries, Entrepreneurial Culture and Leadership. This plan identifies milestones to assist government - develop policies and initiatives to enhance Pacific peoples’ contribution to the New Zealand economy. Each goal outlines objectives that will address gaps in current government responses and areas of need.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
Activity:
Pacific Women’s Economic Development Plan (PWEDP)
Description:
The PWEDP is a specific economic development action plan for Pacific women. It identifies specific milestones that further contribute to four of the PEAP goals: Education, Workforce Development, Business Development and Leadership.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
Activity:
Local Industry Partnerships
Description:
Local industry partnerships are designed to help address local skills shortages and respond quickly to emerging local employment opportunities, where the skills of the local workforce do not match those required for the jobs. Working directly with industry to identify and contract the appropriate training courses, they aim to open up sustainable jobs and new career opportunities to unemployed people and others currently disadvantaged in the labour market. These partnerships complement the national partnerships.
Lead Agency:
Ministry of Social Development
Activity:
Increase union density and the extent of collective bargaining in the aged care and disability sectors in order to improve wages
Description:
The NZCTU works with the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) to improve wages and employment conditions in the aged care sector through collective agreements. The unions are jointly co-ordinating the Fair Share for Aged Care campaign. The NZCTU also works with the Public Service Association (PSA) and the SFWU in their campaign to improve wages and conditions for disability sector care workers through a focus on increasing coverage of collective agreements.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Providing a worker perspective on the incorporation of labour standards in trade agreements
Description:
The NZCTU provides the Government with information on international labour practices and contributes to discussions with the Government on labour aspects of possible trade agreements, including direct reference to ILO core labour standards.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Memorandum of understanding with the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs
Description:
The NZCTU has a memorandum of understanding with the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs outlining the basis for co-operation to promote training and employment opportunities for young people.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Learning Representatives Project
Description:
The Learning Representative Programme is a NZCTU-run project funded by the Tertiary Education Commission to enhance worker participation in learning and increase skills. The Project has completed its first phase with a strong initial focus on foundation skills and literacy and a longer-term focus on quality jobs and design of work.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Workplace Productivity Education Project
Description:
The NZCTU’s Workplace Productivity Education Project is designed to enhance productivity in New Zealand. Workshops have been run since October 2006, with more than 1500 participants attending from unions and sectors including banking and finance, food processing, engineering and manufacturing, saw milling, building and construction, tertiary education, rail and ports, air transport and other infrastructure, retail, health, central and local government.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Health and safety education and training
Description:
The NZCTU raises awareness amongst unions and their members about workers’ rights to participate in injury prevention management. The NZCTU provides three levels of health and safety representative training, with over 20,000 representatives now trained. Additional targeted training is undertaken with companies involved in the ACC Partnership Programme.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Union guidance/worker perspective on health and safety issues
Description:
The NZCTU provides guidance and a worker perspective on health and safety issues through such activities as submitting to ACC on shift-work fatigue as a hazard; contributing to occupational safety and health guidelines; and participating in a number of heath and safety for a and advisory groups including The Health and Safety Council and the ACC Ministerial Advisory Group.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Advocacy service for injured workers
Description:
The NZCTU offers a national phone-based advocacy service that provides union members with advice on ACC entitlements and injury management.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Representation and input on migrant worker issues
Description:
The NZCTU, union affiliates and the CTU Komiti Pasefika network also discuss ways to strengthen worker rights in Pacific nations and participate in forums on Pacific Labour Market activities. The NZCTU has also launched a specific migrant worker project to develop resources for, and promote the rights of, migrant workers.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Older workers
Description:
The NZCTU liaises with the Retirement Commission, Human Rights Commission and other government agencies and non-government agencies on issues affecting older workers including part-time work options, retirement income and access to the health system.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Representation on the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board
Description:
The NZCTU is represented on the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board that advises the Prime Minister, Government and others on growth and innovation strategies.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Public Service Association Partnership for Quality and Public Service Tripartite Forum
Description:
The Public Service Association has entered its third quality agreement with the Government. The Public Service Tripartite Forum allows regular meetings between union members to discuss key workplace issues and processes.
Lead Agency:
Public Service Association
Activity:
Union advocacy and guidance on health workforce issues
Description:
The health sector unions have a Health Tripartite Forum and bipartite meetings with District Health Boards to help maintain constructive relationships and improve conditions of work for health sector workers.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Union participation in the governance of tertiary education institutions and industry training organisations
Description:
The NZCTU nominates union representatives to the councils of most tertiary education institutions and to most of the boards of industry training organisations. There is also a NZCTU nominee on the board of the Industry Training Federation. The purpose of this representation is to ensure that training providers are in touch with workers’ needs and that the diversity of potential trainees is reflected.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Industry development projects
Description:
The NZCTU runs projects in the forestry and food and beverage sectors and with Maori workers to increase worker participation in industry decision-making and develop improved industry standards.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Activity:
Kaimahi Maori - Maori Worker Education Project
Description:
An initiative of the NZCTU Runanga, this project draws on Matauranga Maori – indigenous models of leadership and knowledge – to promote skills development through participation in the union movement.
Lead Agency:
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions