Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Auckland
Reference No AA 359/07
Determination date 16 November 2007
Member Y S Oldfield
Representation S Mitchell ; J Hardaker
Location Auckland
Parties NZ Meatworkers & Related Trades Union of Workers v Crusader Meats Ltd
Summary BARGAINING – Application for reference to facilitation – Authority earlier declined reference – Authority found negotiations not unduly protracted and had not been extensive efforts to resolve issues – Applicant claimed despite further attempts to progress matter, unable to resolve impasse and situation markedly worse since first application – Respondent supported current application - Since earlier determination parties had revised offers, convened further bargaining meetings, and engaged in mediation and industrial action – Applicant given notice of further lockouts – What constituted “unduly protracted” bargaining and a reasonable timeframe for completion of process could depend on circumstances of bargaining – Factors impacting on task included nature of industry involved, complexity of document under negotiation, extent of its coverage and past history, and level of union membership – Approximately 10 percent of respondent’s employees members of applicant – Nearly two years passed since bargaining initiated for relatively small group of workers – In circumstances Authority satisfied bargaining now unduly protracted – Parties’ considered had reached deadlock - Parties expended additional time and effort to resolve matter - Situation materially different from that whe earlier determination issued - Threshold in s50C(1)(b) Employment Relations Act 2000 satisfied – Parties referred to facilitation
Result Application granted ; No order for costs
Main Category Bargaining
Statutes ERA s50C(1)(b)
Cases Cited NZ Meat Workers & Related Trades Union v Crusader Meats NZ Ltd unreported, L Robinson, 24 May 2007, AA 157/07
Number of Pages 4
PDF File Link: aa 359_07.pdf [pdf 19 KB]