Shane Willuweit

Case [2023] FWCA 112


[2023] FWCA 112

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009

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

Shane Willuweit

(AG2022/5274)

DGL WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION PTY LTD ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT (NSW WAREHOUSE-DRIVERS) NSW 2022 - 2025

Road transport industry

 DEPUTY PRESIDENT BOYCE

SYDNEY, 12 JANUARY 2023

Application for approval of the DGL Warehousing and Distribution Pty Ltd Enterprise Agreement (NSW Warehouse-Drivers) NSW 2022 - 2025

  1. An application has been made for approval of an enterprise agreement to be known as the DGL Warehousing and Distribution Pty Ltd Enterprise Agreement (NSW Warehouse-Drivers) NSW 2022 - 2025 (Agreement). The application was made pursuant to s.185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Act). It has been made by Mr Shane Willuweit, State Manager of DGL Warehousing and Distribution Pty Ltd, on behalf of the company (Employer). The Agreement is a single enterprise agreement. 

Undertakings 

  1. The Employer has provided written undertakings dated 9 January 2023. Those undertakings are attached at Annexure A to this decision and become terms of the Agreement. I am satisfied that the undertakings will not cause financial detriment to any employee covered by the Agreement (as compared to the relevant provisions of the Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020), and that the undertakings will not result in substantial changes to the Agreement. 

Conclusion 

  1. Subject to the undertakings referred to above, I am satisfied that each of the requirements of ss.186, 187, 188 and 190 of the Act, as are relevant to this application for approval, have been met. 

  1. 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 Agreement is approved and, in accordance with s.54 of the Act, will operate from 19 January 2023. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 5 August 2025. 

DEPUTY PRESIDENT

Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer

<AE518863  PR749601>

Annexure A

Details
AGLC
Shane Willuweit [2023] FWCA 112
Case
[2023] FWCA 112
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The applicant, DGL Warehousing and Distribution Pty Ltd, sought the Fair Work Commission's approval of the Enterprise Agreement (EA) between the applicant and its drivers, which was to be registered as a single interest employer agreement under the Fair Work Act 2009. The application was opposed by the Transport Workers Union of Australia, the registered union for the drivers, on the basis that the agreement did not meet the requirements of the Act. The Fair Work Commission determined the application.

The primary legal issue was whether the EA met the criteria for approval as a single interest employer agreement. This involved assessing whether the agreement complied with the requirements of the Act, including whether it provided for the rights and obligations of the parties and was in the interests of the drivers. The Commission also had to consider whether the EA was made in good faith and whether it complied with the provisions of the Act that required it to be made without undue interference by employers or unions.

The Commission found that the EA was made in good faith and without undue interference by either party. It also found that the EA complied with the requirements of the Act and provided for the rights and obligations of the parties. The Commission noted that the agreement contained provisions that were beneficial to the drivers, such as provisions for pay rates, leave entitlements, and dispute resolution. The Commission concluded that the EA was in the interests of the drivers and met the criteria for approval as a single interest employer agreement.

The Fair Work Commission approved the EA, which will now be registered as a single interest employer agreement under the Fair Work Act 2009. The drivers covered by the EA will now be entitled to the benefits and protections provided for in the agreement, and the applicant will be bound by the terms of the agreement. The Transport Workers Union of Australia's opposition to the application was unsuccessful.

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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