Employment Advocacy Services
Get Started
Complete registration and booking.
Choose a time for an online (Zoom) Initial Meeting.
Share details about your employment situation and problem.
Upload necessary documents for assessment.
Attend the Initial Meeting with Michael May.
During the meeting, Michael will examine your documents and ask for more information. Afterward, he will email you his thoughts and possible next steps (“Michael’s View”).
Fee: $0.00
Michael’s View
After the Initial Meeting, you'll get an email with "Michael’s View." This will explain Michael’s understanding of your situation in simple terms and set out some possible actions.
Many workplace issues can be resolved calmly and affordably by approaching your employer with a clear understanding of your problem, your rights, and a reasonable solution.
Fee: $0.00
Personal Grievance
So, you’ve been unable to solve your employment situation. The next step is to “raise” a personal grievance. This is a letter to your employer informing them of your employment problem. This letter might result in your employer coming to the party, or it might not. In any case, it is the starting point for settling an employment dispute in New Zealand.
Michael will use information you provide, and his knowledge of employment law, to draft this letter.
Fee: If I resolve your employment problem before mediation, the fee will be 33% of any settlement, or $1,000.00 + GST, whichever is the lesser
Mediation
Your employer has received your personal grievance but isn’t prepared to settle with you. The next step is mediation. Mediation is a (relatively) cheap and easy way of solving employment problems. Any agreement reached during mediation is binding on you AND your employer.
Michael is able to attend the mediation with you, and speak for you as your advocate, with the aim of reaching a solution that you can accept.
A mediation session usually lasts about 3 hours, and Michael normally allows about 10 hours of preparation, including meetings with you to discuss your case, decide on your goals and prepare you for the process.
Typical goals include:
I receive an apology from someone.
I receive compensation for lost wages.
I receive compensation for hurt and humiliation.
My work conditions are restored to what they were before.
That all adds up to costs. However, Michael May Employment Advocate charges for mediation on the basis of performance.
Typical Fees:
Mediation Fee: 33% of any award OR $2,600+GST, whichever is the lesser.
The exact fees for your mediation will be explained to you before we decide to go ahead with mediation, and will depend on the amount of time Michael needs for preparation, and the types of goals you have set.
Final Offer
At mediation, you were unable to reach an agreement with your employer. There is one last thing you can do before giving up OR going to the Employment Relations Authority.
This is an offer to settle “without prejudice except as to fees” and it would be a very unwise employer that quickly rejected a reasonable offer of this sort.
Fee: $200.00 + GST
Employment Relations Authority
Mediation didn’t go well, and you want to take it further. OK, but be warned:
There are financial risks. Instead of receiving money, you might need to pay thousands of dollars to cover your employer’s fees.
This is “adversarial” (meaning it could be a rough time for you).
It isn’t quick.
Michael is able to act as your advocate at the Employment Relations Authority. This is a complicated process and there is a lot of preparation that goes into it. Before we begin, you will need to pay Michael May Employment Advocate the ERA Initial Fee of $600.00.
An ERA hearing often lasts for half a day, but it can last a lot longer. You may have to pay the ERA’s costs if it lasts longer than one day.
If you are unsuccessful at the ERA, you may have to pay your employer’s legal costs, and these can be substantial. . On the other hand, in this case, you won’t need to pay Michael May Employment Advocate the ERA Success Fee!
If you are successful at the ERA, your employer will normally have to pay your costs, including fees from Michael May Employment Authority.
Typical Fees:
ERA Success Fee: $4,000+GST per day.