Smit Lamnalco Towage (Australia) Pty Ltd

[2016] FWC 5630

[2016] FWC 5630

FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION

Fair Work Act 2009
s.318 - Application for an order relating to instruments covering new employer and transferring employees

Smit Lamnalco Towage (Australia) Pty Ltd
(AG2016/3638)

VICE PRESIDENT WATSON MELBOURNE, 17 AUGUST 2016

Application by Smit Lamnalco Towage (Australia) Pty Ltd – transferrable instrument – application that transferable instrument will not cover transferring employees – Fair Work Act 2009, ss.311, 312, 317, 318.

Introduction

[1] This decision concerns an application by Smit Lamnalco Towage (Australia) Pty Ltd (Smit Lamnalco) for an order under s.318 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act). That section permits orders to be made relating to instruments covering a new employer and transferring employees in the context of an expanded notion of transfer of business.

[2] The application concerns employees of SMIT Marine Australia Pty Ltd (SMA) who are employed as General Purpose Hands or Integrated Ratings and are covered by the SMIT Marine Australia Pty Ltd and MUA Enterprise Agreement 2015 (SMA EA) (transferring employees). The SMA EA applies to the Gladstone operations operated by SMA. Smit Lamnalco is proposing to employ the employees engaged in the Gladstone operations. It seeks to alter the default position arising from the application of the Act. Smit Lamnalco seeks an order that the SMA EA will not cover Smit Lamnalco or any transferring employees and the Smit Lamnalco Towage (Australia) Pty Ltd & Maritime Union of Australia Enterprise Agreement 2014 (Smit Lamnalco EA) will cover any transferring employees, subject to undertakings set out in the draft order filed by Smit Lamnalco.

[3] Currently different employing entities employ employees on Smit group contracts and the operations are conducted by different companies within the group. In essence, Smit Lamnalco is seeking to have all of the group operations in Australia conducted by a single entity, all employees employed by a single employer and one enterprise agreement covering all of the operations for each class of employee.

[4] For the purposes of s.311(6) of the Act, SMA and Smit Lamnalco are associated entities within the meaning of s.12 of the Act and s.50AAA of the Corporations Act 2001.

[5] The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) opposes the application.

[6] The matter was listed for hearing on 9 August 2016 in Gladstone. Mr M Coonan, of counsel, appeared on behalf of Smit Lamnalco and Ms L Doust, of counsel, appeared on behalf of the MUA. Evidence was given by the following persons:

• Ms Veronica (Nikki) Carter, Contract Manager and Senior Industrial Relations Advisor of Smit Lamnalco



• Mr Jason Miners, Deputy Branch Secretary of the Queensland Branch of the MUA



• Mr Phil Hansen, General Purpose Hand/Integrated Rating, SMA.

Background

[7] Smit Lamnalco and SMA are in the process of integrating. As a final step of the Australian region integration process, Smit Lamnalco has embarked on an exercise to have all employees employed by the same employer.

[8] Smit Lamnalco is proposing to transfer employees employed by SMA to Smit Lamnalco on a date no later than seven days after the successful application of the order in this proceeding and similar proceedings involving the Australian Maritime Officers’ Union and the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers.

[9] The Smit Lamnalco EA was approved on 2 April 2015. Its nominal expiry date is 30 June 2017. The SMA EA was approved on 5 April 2016. Its nominal expiry date is 30 June 2016. Forty three deckhands are employed under the agreement.

The relevant legislation

[10] Part 2-8 of the Act defines a transfer of business for the purposes of the Act and s.313 provides for the transfer of enterprise agreements, certain modern awards and certain other instruments if there is a transfer of business from one employer to another employer. This default position is able to varied by order of the Commission.

[11] Section 311(1) contains the definition of transfer of business in a wider manner than the ordinary English or legal meaning of the term. The definition is:

“(1) There is a transfer of business from an employer (the old employer) to another employer (the new employer) if the following requirements are satisfied:

(a) the employment of an employee of the old employer has terminated;

(b) within 3 months after the termination, the employee becomes employed by the new employer;

(c) the work (the transferring work) the employee performs for the new employer is the same, or substantially the same, as the work the employee performed for the old employer;

(d) there is a connection between the old employer and the new employer as described in any of subsections (3) to (6).”

[12] Sections 317 and 318 of the Act relevantly provide:

“317 FWC may make orders in relation to a transfer of business:

This Division provides for FWC to make certain orders if there is, or is likely to be, a transfer of business from an old employer to a new employer.

318 Orders relating to instruments covering new employer and transferring employees

Orders that FWC may make

(1) FWC may make the following orders:

(a) an order that a transferable instrument that would, or would be likely to, cover the new employer and a transferring employee because of paragraph 313(1)(a) does not, or will not, cover the new employer and the transferring employee;

(b) an order that an enterprise agreement or a named employer award that covers the new employer covers, or will cover, the transferring employee.

Who may apply for an order

(2) FWC may make the order only on application by any of the following:

(a) the new employer or a person who is likely to be the new employer;

(b) a transferring employee, or an employee who is likely to be a transferring employee;

(c) if the application relates to an enterprise agreement—an employee organisation that is, or is likely to be, covered by the agreement;

(d) if the application relates to a named employer award—an employee organisation that is entitled to represent the industrial interests of an employee referred to in paragraph (b).

Matters that FWC must take into account

(3) In deciding whether to make the order, FWC must take into account the following:

(a) the views of:

(i) the new employer or a person who is likely to be the new employer; and

(ii) the employees who would be affected by the order;

(b) whether any employees would be disadvantaged by the order in relation to their terms and conditions of employment;

(c) if the order relates to an enterprise agreement—the nominal expiry date of the agreement;

(d) whether the transferable instrument would have a negative impact on the productivity of the new employer’s workplace;

(e) whether the new employer would incur significant economic disadvantage as a result of the transferable instrument covering the new employer;

(f) the degree of business synergy between the transferable instrument and any workplace instrument that already covers the new employer;

(g) the public interest.

Restriction on when order may come into operation

(4) The order must not come into operation in relation to a particular transferring employee before the later of the following:

(a) the time when the transferring employee becomes employed by the new employer;

(b) the day on which the order is made.”

Which enterprise agreement should apply?

[13] The provisions above provide for a default position that upon a transfer of business, enterprise instruments that formerly applied to the former employer and its employees continue to apply to transferring employees and the new employer. Such an outcome is able to be modified in appropriate circumstances having regard to the non-exhaustive list of considerations in s.318(3).

[14] In my view this application calls for a consideration of the most appropriate agreement to cover the operations of the new employer in all of the circumstances. I commence by considering the factors in s.318(3).

[15] The new employer, Smit Lamnalco is the applicant and favours the application of the Smit Lamnalco EA in furtherance of its objective of securing a single workforce and an approach it describes as “One Company, One System”. This objective is based on the desire for uniformity and unity of purpose which has significance with respect to safety and operating practices especially when employees are transferred between ports. The reasons for the support of the change are logical and well-intentioned.

[16] There is conflicting evidence about the views of employees. I prefer the evidence led by the MUA to the effect that the change is not supported by the employees because they want the opportunity to bargain for a new enterprise agreement to apply to Gladstone. The loss of the opportunity to bargain for new terms for a period until bargaining on the national agreement begins and the loss of the opportunity to take protected industrial action for approximately twelve months is understandable. The contention that negotiations over specific LNG tanker terms would be delayed is less understandable given the facility in the current agreement for such discussions and the agreement to reflect those in the next agreement. Nevertheless there would be a delay in reflecting any changes that might emerge from those discussions.

[17] The above reasons overlap with the notion of disadvantage to employees. In my view there is a disadvantage to employees to effectively have their enterprise agreement extended by 12 months without any counterbalancing benefit. In other respects the existing benefits under the Gladstone agreement are intended to continue by way of undertaking. I am prepared to assume that this will limit any disadvantage arising from a comparison of the terms of the agreements. In some respects the actual disadvantage of an extension of the agreement is speculative as the outcome of any negotiations is unknown. However the loss of an opportunity to support claims with protected industrial action is in my view a real disadvantage.

[18] As I have noted, the SMA EA expired on 30 June 2016. The Smit Lamnalco EA expires on 30 June 2017. The implications of this are mentioned in part in the consideration of disadvantage above. It could also be said that the additional length of operation of the agreement provides for a period of stability for a period after the transfer of employees to the new entity. I do not regard the consideration of stability as a significant factor in this case.

[19] It is contended by Smit Lamnalco that inheriting the SMA EA would have a negative impact on the productivity of its new workplace. This is said to relate primarily to the difficulties in transferring employees between ports because the SMA EA does not have the same facilitative provisions for transfers that the Smit Lamnalco EA has. I consider that this point has substance. However some of the advantages the company seeks to gain can be achieved through the change in employing entity without a change in applicable instrument.

[20] A related notion is whether Smit Lamnalco would incur significant economic disadvantage as a result of inheriting the SMA EA. The change in employer is voluntary and the SMA EA is an instrument recently negotiated by a related company. In my view it would be an overstatement to suggest that there is a significant economic disadvantage arising from the default position.

[21] There are several differences in the two instruments. As it is intended to continue to apply all of the benefits of the SMA EA I am of the view that there is a general degree of business symmetry between the two instruments but, in relation to transfers and portability, the synergy is deficient.

[22] In my view this matter is confined to the parties involved and the respective effects on the operations, rights and obligations. I do not consider that the public interest has any significance in this matter.

[23] The discretion to make an order is to be guided by the above considerations. The making of an order alters the Act’s default position. It is not agreed. As I have found, it carries with it some disadvantage to employees. In my view it is significant that a rationalisation of agreement coverage was not achieved in the lengthy negotiations leading to the recently made SMA EA. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to address this matter in bargaining for the renewal of the two agreements. While there is an understandable benefit in bringing all of the operations under one agreement I consider that in the absence of agreement all attempts should be made to achieve the outcome through bargaining.

[24] I am not persuaded that it is appropriate to make the orders sought in this matter.

Conclusion

[25] For the above reasons the application is dismissed.

VICE PRESIDENT

Appearances:

Mr Coonan M, of counsel, with Ms Mansini, A on behalf of Smit Lamnalco.

Ms Doust, L of counsel, with Mr Neal, A on behalf of the MUA.

Hearing details:

2016.

Gladstone.

9 August.

Final written submissions:

Smit Lamnalco on 5 July and 8 August 2016.

MUA on 22 July 2016 and 11 August 2016.

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