For the Fair Pay Agreements Bill to have any real impact, the Government will not only have to pass it through all stages this year – it will also have to win the next election.
A National-led Government can be expected – as a priority – to wipe it from the statute books. It’s that sort of issue. The Government has made some concessions to address employer concerns, but they go nowhere near far enough to change that.
And, although the Bill puts the unions in the driver’s seat in terms of initiating a Fair Pay Agreement (FPA), the organisational task is still a large one so it is unlikely that many FPAs will be concluded before the country goes to the ballot box.
These realities give the legislation an academic quality.
Employment partner Marie Wisker and special counsel Vonda Engels discuss the the recently published FPA Bill, diving into the key changes between the initial proposal and the Bill, the FPA process and key concerns for employers.