In brief - The Fair Work Amendment (Supporting
Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill (the Bill)
introduced into Parliament on 9 December 2020 proposes significant
amendments to the enterprise agreement approval process designed to
foster easier and faster enterprise bargaining between employers
and employees.
Schedule 3 to the Bill sets out the comprehensive changes to
enterprise bargaining and the enterprise agreement approval process
in the Fair Work Commission (FWC). According to
the introductory statement in the Explanatory Memorandum
accompanying the Bill:
"[the] Bill aims to increase the number of Australians
covered by enterprise agreements – driving higher wages and
productivity in the process – by making agreement making and
approval processes easier and faster for employers and employees,
while balancing flexibility and fairness" .
