The seminar, held at Rutherford House at the Wellington School of Business and Government featured a series of presentations and panel discussion from high-profile figures in employment relations, including the Hon Michael Wood—Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Professor Gordon Anderson—expert in employment law from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Law, and Professor David Peetz, an expert in industrial relations at Griffith University.

Topics discussed included the legislative architecture of New Zealand’s employment law, the effectiveness of collective bargaining and unions, and employment relations and the changing work environment.

Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Wellington School of Business and Government, Professor Jane Bryson, opened the seminar and touched on the important history of CLEW, which was established as the Industrial Relations Centre in late 1970 after a recommendation from the National Development Conference in 1969 for the establishment of an industrial relations centre for research, provision of a reference library and consultative services for employer and employee organisations.

“Over the last 50 years the Centre has provided a forum and support for hundreds of journal articles, books, theses, reports, occasional papers, seminars and conferences, newsletters and media commentary on all things critical to the institutions of work and industrial relations,” said Professor Bryson. “For the last 30 years the Centre has annually compiled collective employment agreements negotiated in New Zealand, analysing the detailed terms and conditions of employment of unionised workers covered by these agreements. This is a unique record of changing employment conditions in this country.”

Access the papers presented on the day on CLEW’s Seminar and workshop programme page.