Enterprise Baragining FAQs
- What is enterprise bargaining?
- How does enterprise bargaining affect me?
- What does an enterprise agreement cover?
- Why is enterprise bargaining happening now?
- Do enterprise agreements continue to apply after their end date?
- How long does enterprise bargaining take?
- How is an agreement ratified?
- How much say do I get in the bargaining process?
- How do I keep up-to-date on progress?
An enterprise agreement is a legal document that is negotiated collectively between an employer and employee representatives.
It sets out the pay and conditions of employment for those staff whose roles fall under the agreement.
UOW has two enterprise agreements - one for academic staff and one for professional services staff.
These agreements don’t apply to everyone at the University. For professional services staff, the agreement applies to colleagues up to a Grade 8/9 classification level. Roles above this level are governed by individual employment contracts.
For academic staff, the agreement covers up to a Professor classification, or Level E.
If you’re unsure whether the agreement applies to you, look at your offer of employment. Or reach out to HR.
UOW’s enterprise agreements apply to casual, fixed term and continuing staff members.
Enterprise agreements cover a range of topics related to your employment. This includes your pay and conditions of employment, like leave entitlements, dispute resolution, staff consultation, performance and much more.
Enterprise agreements apply to all eligible staff, regardless of whether they are a union member or not.
Our two current agreements can be accessed on the UOW Intranet.
Both our current enterprise agreements have end dates of 30 June 2022.
The agreements have a clause in them that says we have to write to the unions at least 2 months prior to this date to discuss arrangements for bargaining, and the University has complied with this requirement.
The first professional staff meeting took place on 18 July and a second academic bargaining meeting took place on 19 July.
Yes, the enterprise agreements continue to apply until they are replaced. This means that your conditions of employment will continue to be the same as under the current enterprise agreements.
The timeframe for reaching agreements vary. In the last negotiations, the process took about 18 months. The University is hoping that bargaining will be shorter this time around.
An enterprise agreement must be approved by a majority vote of staff who fall within coverage of the agreement. Employees must be given a 7 day access period before the voting process commences and provided with a copy of the proposed enterprise agreement.
If staff vote to approve the agreement, it must be lodged at the Fair Work Commission.
The agreement must pass what is known as the ‘Better Off Overall Test’. This means that staff will be better off in terms of their pay and conditions than compared to the relevant general higher education Award.
Once the Fair Work Commission approves an enterprise agreement it comes into operation 7 days after the approval date.
UOW engages with 2 key unions as part of our bargaining process. One is the CPSU, or Community and Public Sector Union. The other is the NTEU, or the National Tertiary Education Union.
However, you can elect to be an individual bargaining representative at the negotiations if you wish. This right is set out in the Notice of Representational Rights you received.
We’ll keep staff updated on the latest developments in the bargaining process via the Universe e-newsletter and the Universe intranet.