The Fair Work Act's continuing focus on single-enterprise bargaining, along with weak underpinning awards and supported bargaining's restriction to multi-employer rather than sector-wide bargaining, will limit the new stream's capacity to achieve "decent wages" for low-paid female employees, according to leading IR academics.
The IEU's WA branch has hit back at an employer group's submissions in its Catholic schools single interest multi-employer test case, warning against elevating the status of "irrelevant" views and declaring its construction of the legislation could create a "peculiar result".
ACCI has secured more time for interveners to make their views known on single interest multi-employer bargaining provisions that the IEU's WA branch is testing in a bid to compel negotiations on behalf of general and education support workers in Catholic schools.
The Australian Industry Group has weighed into the early childhood education and care sector supported bargaining test case to tell the FWC it is not its job to "rubber stamp" applications even if all parties desire it and to warn of significant implications for those who might be "selectively excluded" but risk being roped in later.
A major employer alliance supporting a union bid for supported multi-bargaining in the early childhood education and care sector says the FWC needs to bring the Albanese Government to the table as insufficient funding is hampering their ability to boost pay.
The IEU's WA branch says it has re-lodged an application for a single interest multi-employer bargaining authorisation to compel Catholic school employers to negotiate on behalf of thousands of general and education support workers.
The IEU's WA branch has leapt right out of the gates to become the first union to seek a single interest multi-employer bargaining authorisation, using the Albanese Government's Secure Jobs changes to compel Catholic school employers to negotiate on behalf of thousands of general and education support workers.
In the first test of new supported bargaining laws, the FWC will hear in mid-August the landmark application to authorise multi-employer negotiations involving 65 employers and 12,000 workers in the early childhood education and care sector.
Three unions have today lodged a landmark application for supported multi-employer bargaining in the early childhood education and care sector, with 65 employers joining the application that covers more than 12,000 workers nationally.
The UWU plans to accelerate multi-employer bargaining in early childhood education and childcare after the Albanese Government's 2023 Budget failed to fund pay increases for the sector.
