Independent Education Union of Australia

[2013] FWCA 10046

[2013] FWCA 10046

The attached document replaces the document previously issued with the above code on 20 December 2013. The matter number “AG2013/11877” appearing in the preamble has been amended to read AG2013/11932.

Rachel Wong

Acting Associate to Commissioner McKenna

31 December 2013

[2013] FWCA 10046

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009
s.222 - Application for approval of a termination of an enterprise agreement

Independent Education Union of Australia
(AG2013/11932)

ARMIDALE COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL INC. EMPLOYEE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT 2010

Educational services
COMMISSIONER MCKENNA	SYDNEY, 20 DECEMBER 2013

Application for termination of the Armidale Community Preschool Inc. Employee Collective Agreement 2010.

[1] An application has been made for approval of the termination an enterprise agreement known as the Armidale Community Preschool Inc. Employee Collective Agreement 2010 (“the Agreement”). The application has been made pursuant to s.222 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (“the Act”) by the Independent Education Union of Australia (“IEU”) as an employee organisation covered by the Agreement.

[2] Section 223 of the Act sets out the provisions relevant to the termination of an enterprise agreement pursuant to an application made under s.222:

“223 When the FWC must approve a termination of an enterprise agreement

If an application for the approval of a termination of an enterprise agreement is made under section 222, the FWC must approve the termination if:

(a) the FWC is satisfied that each employer covered by the agreement complied with subsection 220(2) (which deals with giving employees a reasonable opportunity to decide etc.) in relation to the agreement; and

(b) the FWC is satisfied that the termination was agreed to in accordance with whichever of subsection 221(1) or (2) applies (those subsections deal with agreement to the termination of different kinds of enterprise agreements by employee vote); and

(c) the FWC is satisfied that there are no other reasonable grounds for believing that the employees have not agreed to the termination; and

(d) the FWC considers that it is appropriate to approve the termination taking into account the views of the employee organisation or employee organisations (if any) covered by the agreement.”

[3] An industrial officer of the IEU provided a statutory declaration which outlined the reasons for the proposed termination (which focussed on the making of a new enterprise agreement, namely the Armidale Community Preschool Inc. Employee Collective Agreement 2013) and the voting process undertaking taken for the employees to approve the termination of the Agreement.

[4] Having considered the requirements set out in s.223 of the Act in the context of the materials and submissions, the termination of the Agreement is approved. The termination of the Agreement will operate from six days after the date of this decision, in circumstances where the new enterprise agreement will operate from seven days after today’s date.

COMMISSIONER

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