Employment Contracts Act 1991

E802710

The Employment Contracts Act 1991 was a New Zealand statute that radically reformed labour law by replacing collective bargaining structures with a contract-based employment framework.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf New Zealand statute
associatedMinister Bill Birch GENERATED
associatedPrimeMinister Jim Bolger NERFINISHED
cameIntoForce 1991
citationStatus no longer in force
classification repealed legislation of New Zealand
country New Zealand
criticisedFor contributing to wage inequality
reducing collective bargaining power of workers
weakening trade unions
enactedBy New Zealand Parliament NERFINISHED
followedBy Employment Relations Act 2000 NERFINISHED
governs employment relationships in New Zealand (1991–2000)
historicalSignificance central statute of New Zealand’s 1990s neoliberal reforms
major turning point in New Zealand labour law
impact decline in union density in New Zealand
fragmentation of collective bargaining coverage
increased managerial prerogative in employment relations
shift from collective to individualised employment arrangements
introducedUnderGovernment Fourth National Government of New Zealand NERFINISHED
jurisdiction New Zealand
keyFeature abolition of national awards system
emphasis on individual employment contracts
freedom of association in employment relationships
limited legal recognition of unions as bargaining agents
reduction of compulsory union involvement in bargaining
language English
legalDomain dispute resolution in employment
employment contracts
freedom of association
policyOrientation deregulation of labour markets
market-oriented labour reform
purpose to reform New Zealand labour law
to replace collective bargaining structures with contract-based employment arrangements
region Oceania
repealDate 2000
repealed true
repealedBy Employment Relations Act 2000 NERFINISHED
replacedRegime collective award-based system under Industrial Relations Act 1973
royalAssentDate 1991
shortName ECA 1991 NERFINISHED
subjectMatter collective bargaining
employment law
individual employment contracts
industrial relations
supportedFor enhancing labour market flexibility
promoting enterprise-level bargaining

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Employment Court of New Zealand establishedBy Employment Contracts Act 1991