General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd

Case [2022] FWCA 364


[2022] FWCA 364

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009

s.185—Enterprise agreement

General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd

(AG2021/8807)

General Motors Australia & New Zealand Warehousing Operations Enterprise Agreement

Vehicle industry

COMMISSIONER YILMAZ

MELBOURNE, 7 FEBRUARY 2022

Application for approval of the General Motors Australia & New Zealand Warehousing Operations Enterprise Agreement

  1. An application has been made for approval of an enterprise agreement known as the General Motors Australia & New Zealand Warehousing Operations Enterprise Agreement (the Agreement). The application was made pursuant to s.185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act). It has been made by General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd. The Agreement is a single enterprise agreement.

  1. The Employer has provided written undertakings. 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 are relevant to this application for approval and have been met. The Agreement does not cover all of the employees of the employer, however, taking into account the factors in ss.186(3) and (3A) I am satisfied that the group of employees was fairly chosen.

  1. I observe that clause 7.11(a)(iii) of the Agreement is likely to be inconsistent with the National Employment Standards (NES). However, to address this, the Employer provided a NES precedence clause which is in the undertaking at Annexure A. I am satisfied the more beneficial entitlements of the NES will prevail where there is an inconsistency between the Agreement and the NES.

  1. The Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union known as the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) and the United Workers’ Union being bargaining representatives for the Agreement, have given notice under s.183 of the Act that they wish to be covered by the Agreement. In accordance with s.201(2) I note that the Agreement covers the organisations.

  1. The Agreement is approved and in accordance with s.54, will operate from 14 February 2022. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 14 November 2024.

COMMISSIONER

Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer

<AE514849  PR738096>

Annexure A

Details
AGLC
General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd [2022] FWCA 364
Case
[2022] FWCA 364
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd applied to the Fair Work Commission for approval of the General Motors Australia & New Zealand Warehousing Operations Enterprise Agreement. The application followed a dispute between the company and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, which represented the employees in the warehousing operations. The case involved determining whether the agreement met the legal requirements under the Fair Work Act 2009 for enterprise agreements.

The legal issues before the Fair Work Commission included whether the agreement provided for a fair and reasonable method of determining employees' rates of pay and conditions of employment, and whether it included appropriate mechanisms for resolving disputes between the parties. Additionally, the Commission needed to consider whether the agreement met the 'better-off-overall' test, ensuring that employees would be no worse off financially and had some benefits under the new agreement.

The Fair Work Commission found that the agreement met all legal requirements. It provided a fair and reasonable method for determining rates of pay and conditions, included appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms, and satisfied the 'better-off-overall' test. The Commission approved the agreement, acknowledging the parties' efforts to reach a mutually beneficial outcome.

The Fair Work Commission approved the General Motors Australia & New Zealand Warehousing Operations Enterprise Agreement, effective from the date of the decision. This approval finalised the dispute between the company and the union, ensuring that the agreement would govern the terms and conditions of employment for the affected employees.

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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