In addition, the Amendment Act provided automatic coverage to union members under the CEA and promoted multi-employer collective bargaining by increasing employee strike rights (Blumenfeld et al., 2011). Despite the theoretical accuracy of the ERA, its practical achievements are criticized as employers still enjoy a more powerful position than employees under the ERA (Geare et al., 2011). For example, the 90-day probationary period amendment to the ERA provides the employer with the power to terminate the employee without the risk of being taken to court for personal grievances. According to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) (2010), there are many cases where employees have been unfairly dismissed during the 90 day probationary period. For example, a note station employee in Waikanae was fired 5 minutes before the end of her 90th day of work. Furthermore, the employer's power to influence the employee by opting for individual negotiation under the ERA prevents the employer from making significant positive changes to the ROE by