The next tranche of major changes under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 will commence on 6 June 2023.

Multi-enterprise agreements are at the centre of the changes:

• Employers in most industries can be forced into multi-enterprise bargaining.
• Protected industrial action will be available during multi-enterprise bargaining.

There are changes to the processes for initiating bargaining and seeking approval of agreements. The Fair Work Commission will have more involvement, with the ability to intervene in bargaining disputes at an earlier stage, and powers to make amendments to agreements during the approvals process.

In addition, there are new rules around requests for flexible working arrangements. There are tighter timeframes for deciding whether to approve or deny a request, a clarified legal definition for “reasonable business grounds” for refusal, and a new power for the Fair Work Commission to deal with flexible working disputes, including by arbitration.

Contact our Employment Law team for expert legal advice on the changes and how they impact you or your business. Call Hobart 03 6226 1200, Launceston 03 6338 2390, Kingston 03 6226 1200 or directly by email to Rebecca Crawford, Melissa Hamill or Alice Cox.

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