Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia

Case [2021] FWCA 5918


[2021] FWCA 5918
FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION


Fair Work Act 2009

s.185—Enterprise agreement

Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia
(AG2021/7389)

MAN.CO FIRE SOLUTIONS PTY LTD & CEPU NSW/NFIA SPRINKLER FITTING FIRE PROTECTION UNION ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT NSW & ACT 2020-2024

Plumbing industry

DEPUTY PRESIDENT COLMAN

MELBOURNE, 21 SEPTEMBER 2021

Application for approval of the Man.Co Fire Solutions Pty Ltd & CEPU NSW/NFIA Sprinkler Fitting Fire Protection Union Enterprise Agreement NSW & ACT 2020-2024

[1] The Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia (CEPU) has made an application for approval of an enterprise agreement known as the Man.Co Fire Solutions Pty Ltd & CEPU NSW/NFIA Sprinkler Fitting Fire Protection Union Enterprise Agreement NSW & ACT 2020-2024 (the Agreement) pursuant to s 185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act). The Agreement is a single enterprise agreement.

[2] While the application is generally in order, the copy of the notice of employee representational rights (NERR) that was given to the employees was not in the prescribed form. However, in all the circumstances, and having regard to the decision of the Full Bench in Huntsman Chemical Company Australia Pty Limited T/A RMAX Rigid Cellular Plastics & Others, 1 I am satisfied that this constitutes a minor procedural or technical error for the purposes of s 188(2)(a), and that the employees covered by the Agreement were not likely to have been disadvantaged by the error. As a result, I am satisfied that the Agreement has been genuinely agreed within the meaning of s 188(2) of the Act.

[3] On the basis of the material contained in the application and accompanying declaration, I am satisfied that each of the requirements of ss 186, 187 and 188 as are relevant to this application for approval has been met.

[4] The CEPU, 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 its declaration, I note that the Agreement covers the CEPU.

[5] The Agreement was approved on 21 September 2021 and, in accordance with s 54, will operate from 28 September 2021. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 29 February 2024.

DEPUTY PRESIDENT

 1   [2019] FWCFB 318

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Details
AGLC
Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia [2021] FWCA 5918
Case
[2021] FWCA 5918
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The matter before the Australian Industrial Relations Commission involved an application for approval of the Man.Co Fire Solutions Pty Ltd & CEPU NSW/NFIA Sprinkler Fitting Fire Protection Union Enterprise Agreement NSW & ACT 2020-2024. The application was made by the CEPU NSW/NFIA Sprinkler Fitting Fire Protection Union, seeking endorsement of the agreement as a registered enterprise agreement. The dispute arose as the agreement needed to be formally recognised under Australian labour laws to provide legal and binding terms for the employees of Man.Co Fire Solutions Pty Ltd.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the enterprise agreement met the necessary criteria under the Fair Work Act 2009. The court had to determine if the agreement was genuinely negotiated, free from coercion or undue influence, and whether it complied with the procedural requirements set forth by the Act. Additionally, the court had to assess if the agreement covered the appropriate scope of employees and employers as per the Fair Work Act's provisions.

The court considered various aspects of the agreement, including its negotiation process, the absence of coercion, and compliance with the Fair Work Act's procedural requirements. The court also examined the agreement's content to ensure it met the Fair Work Act's standards, including fairness and reasonableness. The court found that the agreement had been negotiated in good faith and met all the criteria required under the Fair Work Act. The court concluded that the agreement was fair and reasonable and therefore approved it.

The final orders of the court were that the Man.Co Fire Solutions Pty Ltd & CEPU NSW/NFIA Sprinkler Fitting Fire Protection Union Enterprise Agreement NSW & ACT 2020-2024 be approved and registered under the Fair Work Act 2009. The court found that the agreement was fair and reasonable, and it met all the necessary criteria for approval. The agreement was therefore registered as a certified agreement, effective from the date of the court's decision.

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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