`Grievance Gravy Train Picking up Speed': Myths and Reality around Employment Disputes in New Zealand

Abstract

Since the late 1980s there has been a growing concern among employers in New Zealand that employees take advantage of personal grievance provisions to make more claims and gain higher compensation when problems arise in employment relationships. The current study used data from a national sample of employers within the private sector and found that the cost of resolving employment problems for employers was relatively low, particularly when disputes were resolved in-house. Further it was found that employers' satisfaction with the dispute resolution was mostly affected by the method by which the resolution was achieved, rather than by the cost or benefits resulting from the disputes. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed.