MEDIA RELEASE
28 October 2022

Brace for impact - Chamber prepares businesses for FPA implementation

The passage of the Fair Pay Agreements Act 2022 this week has the potential to be disastrous for Canterbury businesses if sector-wide agreements are put in place, and The Chamber is preparing to ensure businesses are well equipped to navigate the impacts ahead.

“After months of opposition from thousands of businesses throughout New Zealand, the BusinessNZ Network, and the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, the Government has ploughed through with a piece of legislation that will send us back to an employment relations landscape akin to the 1970s,” Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson says.

“While perhaps well-intentioned in principle, the reality is that Fair Pay Agreements (FPA’s) have the potential to strip employers and employees of the flexible, agile, and productive working arrangements that New Zealand so desperately needs to maintain.

“The initiation process for Fair Pay Agreements is set to begin across multiple sectors in the coming months, and employers need to be aware of the raft of compliance measures and obligations they will face if any of their employees are covered by a proposed agreement.

“The Chamber will be assisting employers to understand the complexities of this new Act and what their obligations and their role in the bargaining process may be.

“We encourage any businesses who have questions about the potential impacts of Fair Pay Agreements, and those who may have been approached by initiation parties, to contact us and talk to our specialist team.”

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For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Leeann Watson, Chief Executive, 027 447 7775, [email protected]

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce (The Chamber) is a not-for-profit membership-based service organisation that has been the home and voice of business in the Canterbury region since 1859. Comprised of over 2,700 member organisations that represent over 75,000 employees, The Chamber’s purpose is to empower people in business by providing advisory and consultancy support in employment relations, human resources, health and safety, international trade, manufacturing, migrant support, research and development grants, and training and development in many areas. www.thechamber.co.nz