Union leaders are promising responsibility instead of wage claims as members face increasing pressure on their household budgets.
Fuel costs and the weak dollar have sent food bills soaring, but union heads agree that making big wage demands will backfire on workers.
Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said any such claims would affect the way the Reserve Bank dealt with inflation, and therefore interest rates.
"If they increase interest rates, that's going to hit our members in the back pocket, just in a different way."
Council of Trade Unions vice-president Darien Fenton said the Employment Relations Act, which comes into effect on October 2, would help delay pressure from unions - at least until next year.
"I guess we're very conscious of our responsibility to make this new act work. The last thing we want to be doing is getting into irresponsible demands."
Ms Fenton and Mr Little said unions should look at alternatives to across-the-board percentage increases, such as an extra week's paid holiday and better sick and parental leave conditions.
The Government could also help by providing affordable and accessible health care, housing and education.
But the 25,000-member Trade Union Federation has a different view. President Maxine Gay has vowed to "go full tilt" to get a wage increase for workers that matches inflation, plus a catch-up amount for losses over the past decade.
"We're not holding back. Finally workers have an environment that provides for improvements that coincides with yet another round of high price rises."
Interest rate concerns were a red herring.
Unions keen to stop claims backfiring
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