Employment Relations Education leave (ERE)
What is ERE leave?
Employment Relations Education (ERE) leave is paid leave that allows union members to take time off work to attend employment relations courses.
Union members can only attend courses approved by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety while on ERE leave. Please see the Employment New Zealand's website for a list of approved courses.
Roles and responsibilities
Unions
Unions are responsible for:
- calculating and notifying each school of their ERE leave entitlement, generally by 1 April each year,
- deciding which union members at each school can take ERE leave, and
- advising employees, and their employer, of the employee’s entitlement.
Unions cannot allocate any employee more than 5 days leave per year, unless the employer agrees to more. Untaken leave cannot be carried over to the next year without the employer’s agreement.
Employees
Employees proposing to take ERE leave must:
- notify their employer no later than 14 days before the start of the course, and
- advise the dates and subject of the course.
Schools
Schools are responsible for booking leave into the payroll system (leave code “UNION”).
Schools can refuse to grant ERE leave if the teacher’s absences would unreasonably disrupt the school’s ability to operate. Contact Te Whakarōpūtanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa | New Zealand School Boards Association (NZSBA) or your usual employment adviser for advice.
For more information, see our page on how to book leave and the Employment New Zealand's guidance on ERE leave.