Conditions depend on whether a collective agreement covers the employee's work.
If there is no collective agreement, then an individual Employment Agreement can be negotiated. The employer must make a written offer and give the employee the opportunity to get advice about it.
If there is a collective agreement, the following options are available if the employee:
belongs to the union
Conditions of employment are those in the collective agreement. The employer and employee can also negotiate extra conditions.
is not a union member
The employee has an individual Employment Agreement. This comprises the conditions in the collective agreement and any extra conditions negotiated with the employer. After 30 days the employee must decide whether to join the union.
chooses not to join the union
The employer and employee negotiate an individual agreement.
If problems do arise in an employment relationship, employees and employers can get information and guidance from the Workplace Contact Centre, freephone: 0800 20 90 20 or visit the Department of Labour.
