Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd

Case [2021] FWCA 6709


[2021] FWCA 6709
FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION


Fair Work Act 2009

s. 185 - Application for approval of a single-enterprise agreement

Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd
(AG2021/8082)

CLEANAWAY SOLID WASTE SERVICES KIMBERLEY REGION ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2021

Waste management industry

COMMISSIONER MIRABELLA

MELBOURNE, 16 NOVEMBER 2021

Application for approval of the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Kimberley Region Enterprise Agreement 2021

[1] Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd (the Employer) has made an application for approval of an enterprise agreement known as the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Kimberley Region Enterprise Agreement 2021 (the Agreement) pursuant to s. 185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act). The Agreement is a single enterprise agreement.

[2] The Employer has provided a written undertaking. A copy of the undertaking is attached in Annexure A. I am satisfied that the undertaking will not cause financial detriment to any employee covered by the Agreement and that the undertaking will not result in substantial changes to the Agreement. The undertaking is taken to be a term of the Agreement.

[3] Subject to the undertaking referred to above, and on the basis of the material contained in the application (and accompanying declaration), I am satisfied that each of the requirements of sections 186, 187, 188 and 190, as are relevant to this application for approval, have been met.

[4] The Form F17 lodged by the Employer contained a typographical error. The Employer has requested that the Commission exercise its discretion to correct this error pursuant to s. 586 of the Act. I am satisfied that the correction should be made and that it is appropriate to do so pursuant to s. 586 of the Act. On 11 November 2021, the Employer filed an amended version of the Form F17 correcting the error identified.

[5] I observe that certain provisions of the Agreement are likely to be inconsistent with the National Employment Standards (NES). However, noting clause 5.1 of the Agreement, I am satisfied the more beneficial entitlements of the NES will prevail where there is an inconsistency between the Agreement and the NES.

[6] The Transport Workers’ Union of Australia, 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) (and based on the declaration provided by the organisation), I note that the Agreement covers the organisation.

[7] The Agreement was approved on 16 November 2021 and, in accordance with s. 54, will operate from 23 November 2021. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 17 October 2025.

COMMISSIONER

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Annexure A

Details
AGLC
Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd [2021] FWCA 6709
Case
[2021] FWCA 6709
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

In the Fair Work Commission, Cleanaway Operations Pty Ltd applied for the approval of the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Kimberley Region Enterprise Agreement 2021. The agreement, which was made between the employer and a group of employees, aimed to regulate the terms and conditions of employment for certain workers in the Kimberley region. The applicants were seeking to have the agreement recognised as a registered agreement under the Fair Work Act 2009.

The primary legal issue before the Commission was whether the proposed enterprise agreement complied with the requirements of the Fair Work Act. Specifically, the Commission needed to determine if the agreement met the criteria for being a "single interest" enterprise agreement and if it complied with the "better off overall test." This test requires that the terms and conditions of employment in the agreement be no less favourable than the relevant award or safety net provisions of the National Employment Standards.

The Commission found that the proposed agreement satisfied the criteria for a single interest enterprise agreement, as it was made between the employer and a group of employees who shared a common interest. The Commission also determined that the agreement was better off overall for the employees, as it provided for improved terms and conditions compared to the relevant award or safety net provisions. The Commission approved the Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Kimberley Region Enterprise Agreement 2021, making it a registered agreement under the Fair Work Act. The approval ensures that the terms and conditions outlined in the agreement will govern the employment of the affected workers in the Kimberley region.

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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