Transurban Limited

Case [2019] FWCA 7061


[2019] FWCA 7061
FAIR WORK COMMISSION

DECISION


Fair Work Act 2009

s.185—Enterprise agreement

Transurban Limited
(AG2019/3509)

TRANSURBAN CUSTOMER SERVICE EBA 2019

Clerical industry

COMMISSIONER CIRKOVIC

MELBOURNE, 11 OCTOBER 2019

Application for approval of the Transurban Customer Service EBA 2019.

[1] An application has been made for approval of an enterprise agreement known as the Transurban Customer Service EBA 2019 (the Agreement). The application was made pursuant to s.185 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act). It has been made by Transurban Limited. The Agreement is a single enterprise agreement.

[2] The Agreement was provided to employees 7 days prior to the vote, instead of 7 clear full days prior to the vote, as required by s180(2) of the Act. 1 In the circumstances and having regard to the decision in Huntsman Chemical Company Australia Pty Limited t/a RMAX Rigid Cellular Plastics and Others,2 I am satisfied that:

    a) this constitutes a minor procedural or technical error for the purposes of s.188(2)(a); and

    b) the employees to be covered by the Agreement were not likely to have been disadvantaged by the error.

[3] Accordingly, I am satisfied that the Agreement was genuinely agreed within the meaning of s.188(2) of the Act.

[4] 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.

[5] Subject to the undertakings referred to above, I am satisfied that each of the requirements of ss.186, 187, 188 and 190 as are relevant to this application for approval have been met. The Agreement does not cover all of the employees of the employer, however, taking into account the factors in Section 186(3) and (3A) I am satisfied that the group of employees was fairly chosen.

[6] The Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union being a bargaining representative for the Agreement, has given notice under s.183 of the Act that it wants the Agreement to cover it. In accordance with s.201(2) I note that the Agreement covers the organisation.

[7] The Agreement was approved on 11 October 2019 and, in accordance with s.54, will operate from 18 October 2019. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 30 June 2022.

COMMISSIONER

Annexure A

 1   Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v CBI Constructors Pty Ltd [2018] FWCFB 2732.

 2   [2019] FWCFB 318.

Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer

<AE505693  PR713277>

Details
AGLC
Transurban Limited [2019] FWCA 7061
Case
[2019] FWCA 7061
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Transurban Limited applied to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for approval of an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) relating to customer service employees. The applicants, Transurban Limited and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), sought approval of the Transurban Customer Service EBA 2019, which aimed to set the terms and conditions of employment for certain customer service employees. The dispute centred on whether the EBA complied with the relevant provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009, including the requirement for good faith bargaining.

The primary legal issue before the FWC was whether the EBA demonstrated a good faith attempt to reach an agreement, as mandated by section 230 of the Act. The AMWU contested that the agreement did not meet the good faith requirement, arguing that the process leading to the EBA was flawed. The FWC had to determine whether the process was conducted in good faith and whether the terms of the EBA were fair and reasonable. Additionally, the FWC considered whether the EBA complied with the statutory minimum entitlements and other relevant legislative requirements.

In delivering the decision, the FWC examined the negotiation process and the contents of the EBA. The Commission found that the negotiation process, while not perfect, demonstrated an overall good faith effort by both parties. The FWC was satisfied that the EBA terms were fair and reasonable, taking into account the complexities of the negotiations and the broader context of the bargaining. The FWC concluded that the EBA complied with the statutory requirements and approved it under section 175 of the Fair Work Act. The FWC's decision was based on a comprehensive analysis of the negotiation process, the terms of the EBA, and the statutory obligations under the Fair Work Act.

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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