Ararat Rural City Council Q and A: Multi-enterprise bargaining

23 September 2024

Legal application for a multi-enterprise agreement
The ASU filed the application in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for a multi-enterprise agreement (MEB) to cover Ararat and Central Goldfields in early July. This followed the nominal expiry of the enterprise agreement on 30 June.

Ararat Rural City Council consented to the application on the basis that its workers had voted for a MEB. Unfortunately, Central Goldfields opposed the application and we’ve had to file a petition to demonstrate that a majority of workers at Central Goldfields support a MEB.

The FWC has now confidentially reviewed the ASU petition and confirmed that a majority of Central Goldfields’ workers have signed the petition.

Despite this, Central Goldfields has maintained its objection to the application and argued that workers have not provided ‘informed consent’ when signing this petition.

How did we get here?
In April, Ararat ASU members endorsed pursuing a MEB with Central Goldfields. Following this meeting, ASU members and non-members at Central Goldfields signed a petition to demonstrate that a majority of workers support this approach. This was not required at Ararat because the employer consented to the application.

Central Goldfields was chosen as the partner Council because the two Councils are similarly sized regional Councils, with similar employment conditions and expire at the same time (June 2024).

Where to from here?
Due to Central Goldfields decision to oppose the application, contested legal hearings will need to take place. These have been scheduled at the FWC for 7 and 8 November.

We understand this is a frustrating delay for members. The ASU stands ready to commence bargaining as the legal process is concluded and hopefully, our application is approved.

The ASU will fight for a decent wage increase that reflects cost of living increases, in this enterprise agreement. Rest assured, this fight will also include back pay from July.

The multi-employer bargaining approach gives us the best opportunity to secure a fair deal at Ararat.

For further information please contact:
ASU organiser Billy King | [email protected]