Source: PSA
Mental health addiction workers at Able Minds have ratified a new collective agreement that keeps 90-day fire-at-will trials out of their workplace – ending a long-running dispute more than five and a half years after their previous collective expired.
The Dunedin-based charity had pushed to make 90-day trials a condition for new staff. PSA members refused to accept it, and the union and employer have finally agreed a new collective agreement without the controversial 90-day trial.
The settlement follows years of protracted bargaining, mediation and facilitation through the Employment Relations Authority, and community rallies.
“This is a real win for workers who do essential work supporting people through addiction and mental illness,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“These workers stood together and held their ground for more than five years. The employer wanted the power to dismiss new staff without reason, they said no.
“The Government has made 90-day trials legal for every employer, but legal doesn’t make them right. They leave new workers insecure and afraid to speak up – and in mental health and addiction services, that hurts the people who depend on them too.
“These are low-paid support workers helping families deal with mental distress and addiction across Dunedin, Oamaru, Invercargill and Central Otago. They are skilled, committed people doing hard work in a stretched sector. They should be able to start a new job knowing they’ll be treated fairly. Collective bargaining delivered that.
“We thank the Dunedin community and the MPs who stood with these workers at the rallies. This result shows that when workers organise, they win.
“Other employers should take note. The PSA will keep resisting and campaigning against 90-day trials wherever employers try to bring them in.”
Background
● Able Minds (Able Charitable Trust) provides mental health and addiction support in Dunedin, Oamaru, Invercargill and Central Otago.
● The previous collective agreement expired on 28 February 2021. In November 2025 the Employment Relations Authority ordered the parties to mediation and agreed to the PSA’s request for facilitation, after both sides accepted bargaining had been unduly protracted.
● PSA members, supporters and MPs rallied outside Able Minds’ Dunedin office in March 2026:
● The Government restored 90-day trial periods for employers of all sizes in December 2023.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.