Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd

Case [2025] FWCA 1838


[2025] FWCA 1838

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009

s.185—Enterprise agreement

Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd

(AG2025/1255)

CLEANAWAY SOLID WASTE SERVICES KATHERINE AND ALICE SPRINGS ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2023

Waste management industry

COMMISSIONER ALLISON

MELBOURNE, 5 JUNE 2025

Application for approval of the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Katherine and Alice Springs Enterprise Agreement 2023

  1. Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd (the Employer) has made an application, pursuant to s.185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act), for approval of a single enterprise agreement known as the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Katherine and Alice Springs Enterprise Agreement 2023 (the Agreement).

  1. The Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU), being a bargaining representative for the Agreement, has given notice under s.183 of the Act that it wants the Agreement to cover it. In accordance with s.201(2) I note that the Agreement covers the TWU.

  1. Clause 28.3(b) of the Agreement, relating to casual loading and shift loading, is ambiguous as to whether casual employees working shift work will be entitled to overtime. The Employer provided an undertaking resolve this issue.

  1. The TWU initially raised concerns regarding whether 15.6(d) of the Agreement removed casual employees’ right to long service leave. The Employer provided submissions that casual employees under the Agreement are entitled to long service leave under the Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT) and this entitlement is not removed by the Agreement. The TWU did not press its objection, and I accept the Employer’s submissions.

  1. Clause 19.2(a) provides rates of pay for employees employed at Level 1 and Level 2 which may in certain circumstances leave employees engaged in those classifications worse off than under comparable classifications in the Waste Management Award 2020. The Employer provided an undertaking that Level 1 and Level 2 would be “severed” from the Agreement, so no employee will be engaged under these classifications. I accept this undertaking resolves this issue.

  1. A copy of the undertakings is attached in Annexure A. I am satisfied that the undertakings will not cause financial detriment to any employee covered by the Agreement and that the undertakings will not result in substantial changes to the Agreement. The undertakings are taken to be a term of the agreement.

  1. Subject to the undertakings referred to above, I am satisfied that each of the requirements of ss.186, 187, 188 and 190 as are relevant to this application for approval have been met.

  1. The Agreement is approved and, in accordance with s.54 of the Act, will operate from 12 June 2025. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 15 July 2027.


COMMISSIONER

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Annexure A

Details
AGLC
Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd [2025] FWCA 1838
Case
[2025] FWCA 1838
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd recently sought approval of the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Katherine and Alice Springs Enterprise Agreement 2023 from the Fair Work Commission. The dispute arose as Cleanaway Operations, a company providing solid waste services, had entered into an enterprise agreement with its employees represented by the Transport Workers Union. The union sought to have this agreement approved, and Cleanaway Operations did not contest the application, indicating its compliance with the necessary legal requirements.

The primary legal issues before the Commission were whether the agreement complied with the provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 and whether it was made in good faith and without coercion. Specifically, the Commission needed to ensure that the agreement addressed all mandated terms and conditions, included appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms, and did not disadvantage employees unduly.

The Commission found that the agreement met all legislative requirements and was made in good faith. The enterprise agreement detailed terms and conditions of employment, including wages, hours of work, leave entitlements, and other conditions relevant to the employees' roles. It also included provisions for dispute resolution that complied with the Act. The Commission was satisfied that the agreement was not coercive and that the parties had genuinely negotiated it.

In approving the agreement, the Commission made orders to that effect, ensuring that the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Katherine and Alice Springs Enterprise Agreement 2023 was legally binding on all parties. This decision allows for the formal recognition of the terms and conditions agreed upon, providing a framework for the relationship between Cleanaway Operations and its employees in the specified regions.

Orders

Orders of the court

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Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

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Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

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