The Government is reviewing the ERA; looking at ways it can act more judicially and in turn streamline its process to benefit employers and employees in dispute.
Employment Relations Authority chief James Wilson was the keynote speaker at a conference entitled "Mind your business; managing the disciplinary process", hosted in Dunedin yesterday by the Otago Southland Employers Association. It attracted more than 50 people.
Mr Wilson said the review was not about "fixing the system", but the interpretation of employment law, speeding up the process and better managing an increasing workload for the ERA's 17 staff around the country.
"We'd like to see the [legal] processes more efficient; helping people understand how the law operates," Mr Wilson said.
He said nationally, use of the ERA in disputes was up about 10%, while in the South Island that figure was a 20% increase, possibly as a result of the recession.
While there were statutory deadlines for disputes, some were taking up to six months and this timeframe was not in the interests of either employees or employers, he said.
Three key outcomes Mr Wilson wanted from the review would be to see more complex cases go straight to the Employment Court; the introduction of "triage" hearings to try to get disputes settled sooner; and, most importantly, the creation of more training and education resources, especially for small- to medium-sized enterprises.
Last month, Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson launched a series of online guides, at the Department of Labour website, to help employers. These targeted the small- to medium-sized enterprises, addressing some of the more common problems they faced.
Some of the legal areas covered for businesses included health and safety, hiring employees, pay, holidays and leave, performance management, and ending employment relationships, she said.
