The employment Contracts Act: a study of secondary school students and a group of young workers

Abstract

This research focuses on two samples of young people: one consisting of a group of secondary school age students (sixth and seventh formers), and the other, a group of young workers employed in a variety of occupations. Both samples were taken from the Wellington region. The object of the research into secondary school students was to investigate what level of understanding and depth of knowledge they have of The Employment Contracts Act, and related employment issues. The decision to investigate this area was made because no substantive data has so far been collected which has explored the ECA and its implications for this group. Research into this area is necessary as these people will constitute the next generation of workers in this country and will operate within a very different industrial relations framework. The second sample consists of a group of young workers, - below 20 years of age - who because of their age do not qualify for the minimum wage. The aim of the research was to examine the structure and substance of young worker's employment contracts since the introduction of the ECA. Both groups demonstrated that they were uncertain and lacked knowledge as to their rights as workers under the ECA, and this uncertainty and lack of understanding was having a negative effect in the workplace. Because neither of these areas had attracted any substantive interest from researchers, a pilot study was developed utilizing structured and semi-structured questionnaires, as the preferred methodology. A structured questionnaire was pre-tested and then given out to 48 secondary school students, who were asked to complete a series of questions which tested their factual knowledge of the ECA The questionnaires were then analysed using a SAS data analysis package. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and telephone interviews were conducted with nine young workers. Respondents were asked a range of questions relating to the content of their employment contracts and the process whereby agreements to those contracts had been reached.