Calvary Retirement Communities Hunter Manning Ltd T/A Calvary Aged Care

[2018] FWC 6900

[2018] FWC 6900

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009
s.319 - Application for an order relating to instruments covering new employer and non-transferring employees

Calvary Retirement Communities Hunter Manning Ltd T/A Calvary Aged Care
(AG2018/5633)

CALVARY RETIREMENT COMMUNITY CANBERRA AND THE ANMF (ACT BRANCH) NURSING ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2017

Australian Capital Territory
COMMISSIONER HARPER-GREENWELL	MELBOURNE, 12 NOVEMBER 2018

Application for an order relating to instruments covering new employer and non-transferring employees.

[1] On 8 October 2018, Calvary Retirement Communities Hunter Manning Ltd T/A Calvary Aged Care (the Applicant) filed an application in the Fair Work Commission (Commission) in respect of the operation of the Calvary Retirement Community Canberra and the ANMF (ACT Branch) Nursing Enterprise Agreement 2017 (the Agreement)to non-transferring employees.

[2] The Agreement was approved on 1 December 2017 and has a nominal expiry date of 30 June 2020. In the absence of an order in the form sought, the non-transferring employees would be covered by the Nurses Award 2010 (the Award).

The relevant legislation

[3] Part 2-8 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) describes when a transfer of business occurs and also provides for the transfer of enterprise agreements from one employer to another in a transfer of business.

[4] Section 311(1) of the Act defines “transfer of business” and section 312 defines the types of “transferable instrument” that may transfer from one employer to another. Sections 317 and 319 empower the Commission to make orders in relation to a transfer of business, including orders that a transferable instrument will, or will not, cover the new employer in relation to the non-transferring employee.

Consideration

[5] The Agreement is a transferable instrument for the purposes of s.312(1)(a) of the Act.

[6] Calvary Retirement Communities operates a business structure under four separate legal entities, one of which being Calvary Retirement Community Canberra (CRCC), the employer named in the Agreement. Effective 28 October 2018, Calvary Retirement Communities intends to amalgamate all four entities into one single entity, being the Applicant. CRCC and the Applicant are associated entities within the meaning of s.50AAA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

[7] I am satisfied that there will be a transfer of business between CRCC and the Applicant for the purposes of s.311(1) of the Act as employees of CRCC will cease to be employed by CRCC and will be engaged immediately by the Applicant to perform the same work on the same terms and conditions of employment.

[8] A copy of the application, proposed orders and Directions issued by the Commission in relation to the filing of submissions was provided to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) by the Applicant as a party to the Agreement. The ANMF did not file any submissions in relation to this application and did not seek to be heard.

[9] In deciding whether to make orders of this kind, the Commission must take into account a range of factors set out in section 319(3) of the Act. I will deal with each of those matters separately.

s.319(3)(a) - The views of the new employer and the employees who would be affected by the order

[10] The new employer, the Applicant, submitted that they had made the application as they seek to apply uniform conditions of employment to existing employees and new employees to ensure consistency and parity for all employees, foster an inclusive and equitable environment and avoid unnecessary administrative costs and challenges.

[11] The Director of Human Resources for the Applicant, Mr David Izzard, submitted a statutory declaration attesting that copies of the application, the proposed orders and Directions issued by the Commission in relation to the filing of submissions were provided to all existing employees and that there were no existing or anticipating non-transferring employees whose views could be sought.

s.319(3)(b) - Whether any employees would be disadvantaged by the order in relation to their terms and conditions of employment

[12] If the order is granted, employees will benefit from a number of more beneficial terms, including more beneficial rates of pay and entitlements. I am satisfied that employees will not be disadvantaged if the application is granted.

s.319(3)(c) - The nominal expiry date of the agreement

[13] The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 30 June 2020. The Applicant submitted that this provides a substantive period of consistency to terms and conditions for both existing and new employees prior to any further enterprise agreement negotiations.

s.319(3)(d) - Whether the transferable instrument would have a negative impact on the productivity of the new employer’s workplace

[14] The Applicant submitted that productivity would not be negatively impacted if the Agreement was to apply to non-transferring employees. I am satisfied that granting the order would promote productivity and efficiency by streamlining terms and conditions of employment so that they apply in the same way to all employees performing work covered by the Agreement.

s.319(3)(e) - Whether the new employer would incur significant economic disadvantage as a result of the transferable instrument covering the new employer

[15] The Applicant submitted that whilst it would be economically disadvantaged to the extent it would be required to pay higher wages to employees if the order is granted, the economic disadvantage flowing from the application of two separate industrial instruments would be far more burdensome.

s.319(3)(f) - The degree of business synergy between the transferable instrument and any workplace instrument that already covers the new employer

[16] The Applicant submitted that ensuring new employees are covered by the Agreement will allow for consistency across their workforce, and it would be incongruous for there to be a select group of employees who would be Award rather than Agreement covered. I have noted the differences between the Agreement and the Award suggesting there would be reduced business synergy if both were to apply to the Applicant.

s.319(3)(g) - The public interest

[17] The Applicant submitted that the public interest is not agitated by this application. I am satisfied that it is not contrary to the public interest to make the order sought.

Conclusion

[18] Having considered each of the matters outlined in s 319(3) of the Act and the material that has been filed, I am satisfied that an order pursuant to s 319(1)(b) of the Act should be made. The order 1 will be issued separately to this decision.

COMMISSIONER

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