# Collective bargaining Official source: https://www.employment.govt.nz/fair-work-practices/unions-and-bargaining/collective-bargaining Scanned: 2026-06-07T03:31:31.402Z Use this as a current official guidance reference, not as a substitute for legal advice. ## Page Text Home Fair work practices Unions and bargaining Collective bargaining Unions and bargaining Collective bargaining Collective bargaining is the process used for negotiating and renegotiating collective agreements. Unions and bargaining Unions Employment Relations Education: courses and criteria Collective agreements Collective bargaining Collective bargaining process Starting collective bargaining Preparing for bargaining Preparing your team Negotiating the agreement Good faith in collective bargaining Passing on collective agreement terms After the negotiations Unable to agree Screen industry Strikes and lockouts Collective bargaining process The duty of good faith applies through all the stages of the collective bargaining process. Employment Services mediators can help at any stage of collective bargaining. Starting collective bargaining Employers or unions can initiate bargaining by giving the other party or parties an initiation of bargaining notice. Preparing for bargaining Preparing for collective bargaining may include choosing and training the bargaining team, drafting a potential collective agreement, and setting up the bargaining process agreement. Preparing your team Choosing and training the bargaining team in preparation for collective bargaining. Negotiating the agreement Negotiations are part of the collective bargaining process. They refer to any form of discussion, either formal or informal, that is used to reach an agreement. Good faith in collective bargaining Unions and employers who are involved in collective bargaining must deal with each other in good faith. Passing on collective agreement terms Passing on collective agreement terms to individual employment agreements. After the negotiations When the bargaining parties have reached agreement, their agreement must be ratified and signed before it is a collective agreement. Unable to agree If the parties can’t agree, they have several options to choose from. These include asking for help from Employment Mediation Services or the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). Screen industry Under the Screen Industry Workers Act 2022, parties can bargain collectively to set minimum terms for work done by screen production workers. Collective bargaining in the screen industry Bargaining for occupational contracts Bargaining for enterprise contracts