Queensland Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited T/A Powerlink Queensland

[2020] FWCA 5539

[2020] FWCA 5539

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

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

Queensland Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited T/A Powerlink Queensland
(AG2020/2735)

WORKING AT POWERLINK 2018 UNION COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

Electrical power industry
DEPUTY PRESIDENT ASBURY	BRISBANE, 16 OCTOBER 2020

Application for termination of the Working at Powerlink 2018 Union Collective Agreement.

[1] The Queensland Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited T/A Powerlink Queensland (Powerlink) applies for approval of a termination of an enterprise agreement known as the Working at Powerlink 2018 Union Collective Agreement (theAgreement). The application is made pursuant to s.222 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (theAct).

[2] The Agreement was approved on 17 November 2017 and nominally expires on 28 February 2021.

[3] Powerlink being the employer covered by the Agreement, applies for its termination pursuant to s.222 of the Act. The application was accompanied by the required declarations.

[4] The Commission must terminate the Agreement if those matters in s.223 of the Act are satisfied as follows:

“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.”

[5] The originating application was accompanied by a Statutory Declaration of Ms Joanne Barrett, Manager of Employee Relations for Powerlink.

[6] Having considered that Statutory Declaration and the information appended to it, I am satisfied that each of the requirements of ss.220(2) and 221(2) as are relevant to this application for termination have been met. I am further satisfied that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the employees have not agreed to the termination and I consider that it is appropriate to approve the termination.

[7] In approving this application I note that the parties have negotiated a new enterprise agreement being the Working at Powerlink 2020 Union Collective Agreement which was approved by me on 16 October 2020 which will commence operation at the time the Agreement subject of this application is terminated.

[8] The termination of the Agreement is approved. The termination will operate from 23 October 2020.

DEPUTY PRESIDENT

Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer

<AE426083  PR723633>