and obviously designed to substantially increase union power and reduce employer rights.
In determining whether the employers have a “common interest”, the Fair Work Commission would be required to consider the geographical location of the enterprises, the regulatory regime applying to the enterprises, the nature of the enterprises, and the terms and conditions of employment in those enterprises.
Even if an employer is not covered by an initial multi-employer agreement, the unions will be able to apply to the FWC to extend the agreement to rope in additional employers. This is clearly designed to enable the unions to find a few accommodating employers that are prepared to agree to the terms of an excessively generous, inflexible and pro-union multi-employer agreement.
The name of the stream will become a misnomer. The proposed new provisions have nothing in common with the current single interest provisions.Under the current single interest bargaining provisions, parties are able to apply to the FWC for a single interest employer declaration enabling them to bargain for a multi-employer agreement in very limited circumstances .One of the key current considerations is that the businesses do not operate competitively. This criterion is removed in the bill.
The FWC’s 2021-22 annual report shows that there were only seven applications for a single interest employer declaration in the past year, which highlights the narrow operation that the Rudd government intended for this stream when it was implemented in 2009.Even though small business employers and those with existing enterprise agreements will not be forced to be covered by “single interest” agreements, this is no comfort for the many thousands of businesses that will be exposed.
You know the previous Liberal government and big business egged on by the big men and women in the previous Liberal government brought this on themselves and serves them right,